New Site Coming!!!

For the few of you that follow me, I have some creative students that are going to help me design a new site. I will post the new url as soon as we get it up and running.

These guys are so creative this new site will be something you will not want to miss.

God Bless.

Thoughts from Recent Trip to D.C.

On Sunday morning, Morgan (my 10 year old daughter) and I boarded a Delta flight from Atlanta to D.C.  For a couple of years we had talked about getting away, just the two of us for a dad/daughter vacation.  Morgan loves history and museums, so I thought D.C. was the perfect place for us to spend a few days.

We arrived in D.C. about 1:30pm and took the Metro to our hotel.  We checked in and had a bite of lunch and we hit the town.  In that afternoon, we visited the White House (well, we took pictures of the outside of the White House a half of a mile away), we went to the top of the Washington Monument, visited the WWII Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the Lincoln Monument.  It was a full afternoon.

The next day we spent our time at the National Museum of American History and the National Museum of Natural History.  I love both of these places and have enjoyed visiting them since I was a grade schooler and lived in the D.C. area.

While we toured the Natural History Museum, it began to strike me how void this place was of any kind of recognition of creationism.  Every display and movie was from the stand point of the big bang and total evolution.  As I walked the halls of these great Museums filled with the wonders of live and all of creation, I thought to myself, “this place needs a display of the Creator.”

The next day Morgan and I were invited by Representative Kevin Brooks (TN State Rep.) to have breakfast with our TN senators, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker.  We got our picture made with the two of them and heard them discuss health care.  Then we went for a tour of the Capital.  It was amazing.  It is hard to believe how well taken care of this place rebuilt in the 1800’s appears.  Thousands upon thousands of visitors roam the halls of this place every day and it still looks new.

After the tour, we had lunch at one of America’s most famous places, The Hard Rock Cafe.  Not my favorite place to eat, but Morgan wanted a burger.  After lunch we visited the Air and Space Museum and the American Indian Museum.  Another full day came to an end.

All in all I will have to say this was one of the very best decisions of my life.  Taking 4 days to get away with my daughter will forever be in my heart.  We laughed , learned, and though we have always had a good bond, we bonded in deep ways.

I am thankful today that God has blessed me with such a wonderful family and the resources to enjoy all of life.  I am a blessed man!

Scripture and the Historic, Where Do They Exist in Current Worship Trends?

As many of you know, I had the chance of a lifetime to study with Robert Webber in my doctoral program before he passed away.  He was a brilliant intellectual filled with God’s spirit and he inspired so many to expand and explore.

Since Bob’s passing, the Institute has begun publishing a weekly quote from some of his books.  Like most great teachers, leaders, and writers, Bob was really passionate about only a handful of ideas or “theologies.”  He just spent years and years retooling, restating, and representing those ideas.

This week’s quote was one of his core ideas.  I want to pass it on to you today.  It is a simple ideology, but one that current worship leaders, planners, and pastors need to think about.

“One of the major reasons why the church has fallen prey to a cultural accommodation is that it has become disconnected from its roots in Scripture, in the ancient church and in its heritage through the centuries. . . . If it is true that the road to the future lies in the past, it is also true that when the past has been lost or neglected there is no certain future. . . . When the past is lost, as it now is in our Western world, there is nothing left to focus on except the self.”

Robert E. Webber, Who Gets to Narrate the World? Contending for the Christian Story in an Age of Rivals.(Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2008), 16-17.

As I look at the current trends in congregational  worship across America, I see a true decline in the role of Scripture.  In most cases, in Evangelical corporate worship, the use of Scripture has been reduced to proof text some life skills message the pastor is preaching.  Very seldom do we hear long passages of Scripture being read out loud by the congregation, and if longer passages are read, it seems that the congregation is board.

In addition, I often get the opportunity to teach workshops in conferences and seminars.  Some of the topics I am asked to address are creative worship planning and choosing music for worship.  One of the first questions I ask the class is, “What are the issues that influence the music selection process for worship?”  The students will list all kinds of real issues that influence their process, but almost never is the Bible mentioned as a foundational element or influence.

We have become trend conscience in the church.  I agree with the use all resources to illuminate the message of the Gospel of Jesus.  However, there is a rich resource of not only biblical influence but also the historical experience of the church that we should not neglect.

Is the future of the church unclear?  As I have been reading the book of Acts again over the past several days, I have been reminded of the powerful nature of the story of Christ as it gets retold again and again in and through the lives of the disciples in the narrative.  While there are supernatural things happening all in the book of Acts, the disciples never neglect the opportunity to present to Gospel and ask the question, “Do you want to know this Jesus?”

My question to you today is, “When is the last time you asked this question?”  The future growth of the church depends on this ancient method of evangelism.  Our cool technological presentations are not the answer for the world.  Jesus Christ is the answer.  Nothing will ever substitute for relationship building, and asking the straight forward questions.  Our technology should enhance our relationships, not replace the effort it takes to live in community and express a real live version of the resurrection life.

Just a few thoughts to get us started this week.

The Clear Gospel

This morning I began a personal re-read of the book of Acts.  It has been a long time since I have read the whole book.  It seems like over the past several years I have been fascinated with the first couple of chapters.  This fascination has less to do with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (although I believe it was a real event and this gift is for all who are a far off) and more to do with the acts of unity that had to take place for the promise to come.  The whole idea of a group of people really being in “one accord” interests me very much.  But this is not what I want to write about tonight.

Chapter 3 in Acts tells the story of the man being healed at the gate Beautiful.  As I read this narrative again, the real story here is the simple, clear articulation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Peter delivers after the man was healed.  The focus of the story is not really the healing or the man, or even Peter and his great faith, but Jesus.

Peter takes advantage of a moment to clearly articulate that this miracle was an action of Jesus and Peter pointed everyone in the Temple to Jesus.  I have been inspired to make sure that I do not waste any opportunity to tell the story of Jesus.  His story must be illuminated and our stories are just by products of His story.  May the narratives of our lives help to point to a clear Gospel.

I Love America

I love America. I am a blessed man to have the opportunity to live in this country. I am continuously reminded of the great sacrifices the men and women of the United States Armed Forces have made on my behalf. This is truly a great nation.

I also love July 4th.  For the past several years, my family and I have taken a two week vacation around the 4th.  It is one of my most favorite times of the year.  We simply rent a condo on the beach, and sit in the sand, read books, meet up with families that come every year at the same time, eat really good home cooked food, and rest.  I was surfing Facebook today and on Leonard Sweet’s page, he posted the following quote:

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.” Erma Bombeck

I say all this to make a serious point about the church and national holidays. I believe our churches should have the greatest July 4th celebrations. We should host picnics and firework shows, and eat hotdogs and icecream. We should use patriotic celebrations to illuminate the message of Jesus to all those in our communities.

However, we should be very careful to make worship about Christ and not a national agenda. I read a former student’s post today that the church where he worshiped this morning used “America the Beautiful” for the communion song. I love this song and all it stands for, but communion is reserved our active remembrance of the work of Christ for a sinful world.

I love America, but I worship only the risen Christ who has redeemed all that is bad and ugly not only in America but all over God’s created world.

Those of us in positions in charge of worship planning and programming need to make sure we are illuminating the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  I believe in using any and all means to illuminate Christ.  July 4th celebrations, Memorial Day, Mother’s Day and even Father’s Day are important in the lives of Americans, but they should never be the focus of our worship.  Only Christ has that distinction and importance.  As great as the sacrifice of our Armed Forces and those who established our great nation has been, there is only one who is the once for all sacrifice for all our sins.  Let’s make sure we keep worship and communion about Jesus, “The One and Only.”

Week Update

It has been a good week. I have 32 juniors and seniors in high school in a special class at Lee called, “Ancient/Future Worship.”
The original premiss of the class was in honor of one of my mentors Robert Webber. Robert died a couple of years ago, but he has left a great legacy of inspiring worship. Check out his books. They might change your life (life and worship are similar terms to Bob).

Summer School

Because of a heavy summer teaching load, I am not posting often. In two weeks I will try to get back on track. If I have some sudden inspiration, I will post so keep checking.

Music Camp Wrap Up

As you know, last week I had the chance to speak for Lee’s Summer Music Camp chapel services. I enjoyed my time with the students, and I hope they were challenged to be the best musicians they can be for the glory of God.

For the most part, my messages were focused to reinforce the learning the students were experiencing in the class room and rehearsal hall. However, on the last day, I felt the need to ask if any of the students wanted to turn their lives over to Jesus. After all, they had spent a whole week in a Christian environment. So when I asked, at least 5 responded that they wanted Jesus to lead their lives.

What a great week.

Lights Out

I must admit I have been wondering for quite a while why we, as worship leaders (and I include myself because on Sunday nights for UCHURCH at Lee University we do the same thing), want to turn the house lights off during the congregational singing portion of our corporate worship.  I get to visit churches all over the US, and many of them are turning the house lights off or really dim when the congregation is singing together worship songs to and about God.

I understand cool effects and the visual generation within we live.  My concern rests in the fact that the only place in the New Testament music in worship is discussed at any length, Paul clearly communicates that we are to, speak (sing) to one another Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”  The last church I visited had the house so dark I am sure no one was speaking to me in the congregation.  There are times in our UCHRCH services I want the technical artists to turn the house lights up so I can see who I am leading and worshipping with in the room.  

I am also not against performance music or artistic use of intelligent lighting to bring about a visual effect that directs people’s attention to Christ.  But in the past few experiences, it seemed the dark house and cool lighting effects were to bring some sort of attention to the worship leaders on stage.  It almost makes me think we are heading back to the middle ages where the worship was taken out the hands of the congregation and performed on behalf of the people by the priests.  

I am consistently reminded by the words of the late Robert Webber.  Webber says, “Worship is a verb.  It is not something done for you or to you, but by you.”

I realize that most churches are doing this because some church growth person said if you do really cool music with a light show, people will come.  However, all I read about this current generation tells me they want two things more than anything.  First, they want authentic leadership in worship.  Second, because of all the virtual relationship sites current technology has afforded, they are looking for true community.  

If a church provides quality music that is current and authentic along with a developing community, the church will grow.  It will not grow because it is attracting all those who are unhappy with the church they currently attend, but it will grow because there are hundreds or thousands of people searching for authentic community.  If we provide it, and build relationships with those who do not know Jesus like we know Him, they will come, and their lives could change forever.  

I love the use of the technical arts in corporate worship.  But I think those of us in creative worship planning must keep in mind that our job is to illuminate Jesus.  If our methods are just for a cool factor, are we really doing what God has called us to accomplish?  Cool for cool sake might just make us feel better about a sub-par musical performance.  Well thought out creative use of technological arts just might help someone see Jesus for the first time.

Just some thoughts.

Self Love

On Tuesday I start a 4 part message series in the chapels for the Lee University Summer Music Camp.  I am going to talk about our lives as a holistic response to God.  Worship, in essence, is really more than our corporate gatherings on Sundays.  Worship is more about how our lives, once we are in Christ, is lived out with him.  

I am going to start in the most used passage of scripture to describe this holistic life response to God, but I am going to start with the second portion of this scripture first.  Matthew 22:33-40 talks about this whole life response.  In conversation with the religious leaders of his day, Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?”  And, Jesus answered for us to love God with all our being, and to “love our neighbor as ourselves.”

I have come to realize lately, that a better understanding of self love could make us better worshippers.  How many of us really love ourselves?  Or maybe a better question is, “Do we only love the image of ourselves we have created for others to love us?”

In general people might be self centered, but I think there is a real lack of self love.  I will explore this from 2 points of view.

First, to understand self love, we have to consider that when God created us, he did so in his own image.  While we are not God, we are an image of him.  Harold Best says, “everything God is in infinity, we are a finite image.”  As we consider self love and the image of God, we must believe that God was completely satisfied in and of himself for all eternity before he choose to create.  He did not create us because he somehow needed us, he created out of love.  At the end of the creation process of humanity, God said, “it was good.”  

While we have marred the original goodness that God created in us, our original state was a state of goodness.  You and I have some kind of God’s DNA in us that is good.  

The second point, is that while we have marred our original goodness, God has created a way for us to retain that state in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Our lives have become dark and dirty since the fall of humanity.  However, in Christ we are redeemed and made clean ready to meet God when that day should come in our original state of his goodness.  

When we think on these things, it becomes more possible for us to think more highly of ourselves.  We might even begin to love ourselves enough to make a difference in someone else’s life.  Love your neighbor as yourself; until we come to grips with self love, I am not sure we are able to love the way Christ is calling all of us to love.

Just some thoughts.