You Can Know God

Playing Guitar in the Band

As if you needed more reasons to make it to The Leaf this Mother's Day...

I'm filling in for Matt the Moody this week and joining the worship band.  I get to come hang out at band practice on Thursday and wear the cool little in ears on Sunday.

When I was a youth pastor in Florida, I actually led worship quite a bit.  We had a pretty good little band going, and actually recorded a couple of CD's.  I even wrote some of the songs.  A few other churches asked us to come do some worship leading and some concerts.  When we moved here to start Oak Leaf, I sold my guitar, which was a really nice one.  We needed to pay the mortgage more than I needed to play the guitar.

I'll leave all the hard stuff for Will and just strum along.  But it will be a lot of fun.   Hopefully, I'll still remember what I'm doing.

Before the Throne of God Above

Singing hymns are great ways to learn theology.  Sometimes, you have to explain the meaning of the words (no one should sing "here I raise my Ebenezer" without explanation), but the words are often rich.  I've asked Will to get this song into our rotation, and we'll be singing it at Oak Leaf very soon.  If you're a pastor or worship leader, you should introduce this song to your people right away.   You can find several versions on iTunes.  I love the line that says "for God the just was satisfied to look on Him and pardon me."  That's rich.

We may be a contemporary, modern, relevant, fill in the blank with the word of your choice, church.  But I love some of these old songs.  We can play them with modern instruments instead of organs and lutes. (what is a lute?).  Anyway, here's the lyrics to "Before the Throne of God Above."  Think on them this Good Friday.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there the risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The great unchangeable I am
The King of glory and of grace
One in Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God

New Favorite Songs

I've been enjoying some new iTunes purchases that I want to share.  Just bought "Reasons Why" by Nickel Creek...a very good folk album.  I'm really liking the song Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol.  It Ends Tonight is a good song from The All American Rejects.  And my new favorite song...Boston by Augustana.  Check that one out - I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I also have been watching Grey's Anatomy lately...very funny, good writing, and a nice use of intertwining music into the show.  I purchased a few episodes on iTunes.  I may add this to Studio 60 and 24 as the only shows I really watch on TV.

Digging LeeLand

I downloaded Leeland's album from iTunes and I'm digging it.  Visit their myspace and listen to the song Tears of the Saints.  That song sums up what we're trying to do on Sunday and what we're trying to accomplish for the Kingdom in Cartersville.  Here's the lyrics.

There are many prodigal sons 
On our city streets they run 
Searching for shelter 
There are homes broken down 
People’s hopes have fallen to the ground 
From failures 

This is an emergency! 

There are tears from the saints 
For the lost and unsaved 
We’re crying for them come back home 
We’re crying for them come back home 

And all your children will stretch out their hands 
And pick up the crippled man 
Father, we will lead them home 
Father, we will lead them home 

There are schools full of hatred 
Even churches have forsaken 
Love and mercy 
May we see this generation 
In it’s state of desperation 
For Your glory 

This is an emergency! 

Sinner, reach out your hands! 
Children in Christ you stand! 
Sinner, reach out your hands! 
Children in Christ you stand! 

And all Your children will stretch out their hands 
And pick up the crippled man 
Father, we will lead them home 
Father, we will lead them home

Sheryl Crow @ The Fox

Jennie and I went to see Sheryl Crow at the Fox Theater in Atlanta last night.  Good concert.  Sheryl Crowe is a pretty good looking person for someone who is like 52 years old.  (She's got nothing on my wife of course).  And she is a great musician.  She played acoustic, electric, bass and piano during the show.  She sounded good live, because she has talent that doesn't require doctored up CD's.  She is a talented artist.

One of the best parts of the concert was watching the middle aged women who had too much to drink.  I'm not sure what kind of dancing that was, but it should be outlawed.  Some of these people are walking examples of why prohibition might be considered again.  One girl a few rows up danced to herself the entire show...during slow songs.  It was almost like she had on headphones dancing to a different tune, because she was getting down during the slow acoustic stuff.  Very strange.

Student Praise Bands

I had the opportunity to work with Daniel and Bonnie at this recent camp and they did a great job.  Daniel is on staff at Northstar Church just down the street from me, heading up all their student creative arts.  He leads a high school band and a middle school band, and helps these students reach their full potential as musicians and Christians.

I like the fact that they are not just on the road, they are doing ministry in a local church.  They also lead Student Praise Band Clinics.  They will come in and work with your student band and help them musically and technically.  They have done some great Bible Study material for student praise bands as well.  You should definitely check it out and bring them in to help your student band or help you get one started.

The fruit of their ministry goes beyond a weekend event...they are discipling the high school students in their bands.  I got to see that up close this week and they are the real deal.   And they do a great job leading worship as well.

Nice Drive to Florida

I left early this morning to drive down to Orlando.  I'm speaking at a youth camp for Red Bank Baptist Church .  We are staying a Disney's Coranado Springs Resport, which is a cool place.  I love speaking to students, but I hate driving.  But this time, since I was driving along, I loaded up the iPod with some great things and the trip just flew by.

I listened to about half of Blink, by Malcolm Gladwell.  I read this a while back, but wanted a refresher.  It's filled with great stories and I really like his writing.

I had Hillsong United to keep me company as well.  I mean, Tomlin and Crowder are great, but I am glad there is some other good worship music that people are using in church.  It's time to update some of those tired songs, and HIllsong is putting out some great stuff.

I got a new song called "The Riddle" by Five For Fighting.  I love those guys, and love this song, and you should download it. The new Goo Goo Dolls album is also quite nice. As is Daniel Powter (Free Loop and Song 6 are incredible tunes...check them out)

I listened to a Catalyst podcast where they interviewed Tim Stevens and a sermon by Mark Driscoll on I Corinthians 8 about freedom and responsibility in Christ.  It was very good, and anytime I hear someone talking about drinking, smoking, tatoos, vegatarians and homeschoolers, that's an interesting message.

Finally, there was a little Rascal Flats.  If anyone out there could figure out how to do country music like this at church, it would be huge.  Here we are in Georgia, in the south, and we're doing rock and roll as contemporary worship.  This is all fine and good, but so many people like country.  Figure out how to do worship tunes that sound like Rascal Flats, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and people like this, and you can write a book and start a conference.

Anyway, I'm all listened out and I'm reviewing some notes before the message tonight.  I've been working on some new stuff for students, and I'm excited to be able to communicate God's message to students who have been on a bus for the past 13 hours!

The Music Debate

Should there be secular music in church?  This is a non-issue with some people, and a barn burner for others...so here goes.

First, you have to consider what is secular and what is spiritual.  I'm not a big fan of labels in general, and especially when it comes to music.  But there cannot be any such thing as Christian music, because music is amoral.  It's neither good nor bad...it's sounds, notes, measures, rests and rythym.  You can only have Christian musicians or Christian lyrics, but not Christian music.

Secondly, there is a misconception among some very conservative Christians that the only truth out there is found in the Bible.  This is just not true.  There are a lot of subjects that the Bible doesn't address that are nonetheless true.  I've never read much math or US history in the Bible, but there are truths there.  The Bible is not a monopoly on truth.  Now, it's is truth from God, and it's important, and it's eternally important.  Science, philosophy and even music may contain truth or pose questions of humanity that are worth looking at.

What kind of music did David play on his harp to soothe Saul?  Who knows?  On the issue of using "secular" music in church, the Bible is silent.  But if you don't have a problem using secular illustrations, or personal stories, or facts from history or business, or jokes you heard from a friend, then there isn't much difference in using a secular song.  None of that is strictly Biblical.  They are all tools.  Paul used the philosophy and writers of the day to communicate with the Romans on Mars Hill.  Musicians and movie makers are philosophers of our day.

In the most recent Simply Strategic Show episode, Tony and Tim make two excellent points about their use of music at Granger.  They remind listenrs that the music never stands alone...it's part of an entire service.  And they say that sometimes, music is used to raise questions.

Objectors to this approach sometimes say things like, "well, if you're using secular music to reach secular people, will you pass out crack to reach drug addicts."  They mention people like Madonna.  These are obviously extreme examples, and the equivilent of throwing out the baby with the bath water.  Paul said he would become like a Jew to reach the Jew or like a Gentile to reach the Gentile.  I can assume because he was a man of wisdom that he would not have become like a murderer to reach murderers.  There's a Godly wisdom and discernment that's required here.  There's leadership principles involved here.  We can't be reckless, but we need to be relevant.

There's another argument that secular music is just not okay for church.  I imagine people turning off the world on their radio before heading to church.  I have a huge problem with this thought because we should be the same everywhere we go.  If it's not okay to do at church, it's not okay for your life.  We teach this to people all the time.  Our lives should be the same on Friday night as it is on Sunday morning.  We're not talking about tabernacles or temples...our bodies are the temples of God.  The buildings we meet in for church on Sunday are just man-made structures.

I've heard this one too:  it should sound like Christian music or church music.  Now that's a really wide statement.  Exactly what does Christian music sound like?  Organs and keyboards and choirs?  I don't think David had an organ.  And I don't think they sell a lot of organ mucis CD's today in the stores.  Music styles change from generation to generation.  There nothing wrong with any particular style of music.

People today get their views of God from music, television and movies.  Music is a powerful and emotional that can communicate in ways that words alone never can.  We can shut off from it or we can use it as a tool.  Obviously, there are offensive lyrics that should not be heard in church.  But those should not be heard in life either.

There are a lot of grey lines here.  Many Christian songs may be performed by Christians but are published and recorded by secular companies only interested in the cash.  Some music labeled as Christian has little to do with God.  Some secular music is very spiritual.  Some worship music is not very worshipful.  Many of the hymns of old were just bar tunes with new lyrics.  What about instrumental music or classical music?  I don't think we can get too caught up in the labels.

And I don't think a song has to be about God to be enjoyable.  Teach your kids the ABC song or about wheels on a bus...those are not Christian tunes.  Play a love song for your wife.  It will make her smile.  Do the chicken dance at a wedding...have a good time.  Do the YMCA at a football game if you want.  There's nothing spiritual there, but it's all okay.  Some songs are there to entertain, some songs are there to make people cry, some songs are there to make you think, some songs are there to help you worship God. 

I listen to all kinds of stuff (because I'm a wanna be rock star).  I like popular stuff, piano music, worship music, some hymns, and the occasional country song.  I've got Goo Goo Dolls, Hillsong, Tim McGraw, Daniel Powter, Mercy Me and about 500 other people on my iPod.  I like it all.  I like music that most normal human beings like.

If you come to Oak Leaf, you're not going to hear any Madonna of Fifty Cent songs, but you're going to hear music that sounds like music of today.  You're going to hear music that sounds like the radio from people that look like musicians and love God with all their heart.

Worship 101

Thoughts from Louie Giglio's session at Catalyst. He gave a great illustration about men complimenting their wife in public. Telling my wife she looks great in front of a bunch of people doesn't do anything for her...it just makes me look good. What my wife craves is for my compliments in private. When it's not about me, but all about her.

I think there's a great parallel there with Christian worship. How we love to worship God in public. We crave the passionate worship experiences, and flock to them. We keep filling ourselves up with the experience until we pop. We over-sing the songs and chase down the feelings. "Just how many God-moment worship experiences do we need," Louie asked.

I think what God wants is for us to tell Him how incredible he is in PRIVATE. It may not be as meaningful when it's in a crowd of people at church or at a conference. Maybe it means more when it's from our heart, when there are no people around to impress.