Saturday, February 24, 2007
The Call of the Christian Musician
My friend Bob Kauflin has spent many years in music ministry. If you are a church musician, click here to read his conference notes on the call of a Christian musician.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
(Another) Good John Piper Article on Worship
Worship: The Feast of Christian Hedonism :: Desiring God: "Worship is an inward feeling and outward action that reflects the worth of God. And the inward feeling is the essence, for Jesus said,
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me."
"There are dead charismatic churches and there are living liturgical churches. The form is just a track to keep us all going in the same direction; whether the engine of worship bullets along this track or sits cold in the station depends on whether we are Christian Hedonists or not."
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me."
"There are dead charismatic churches and there are living liturgical churches. The form is just a track to keep us all going in the same direction; whether the engine of worship bullets along this track or sits cold in the station depends on whether we are Christian Hedonists or not."
Monday, February 19, 2007
What is the meaning of Ash Wednesday?
Growing up a Southern Baptist, my heritage is not one that follows the Church seasons of the liturgical calendar. However, the last decade of my life has been in the Reformed Presbyterian community, of which the last 5 years has been with a church that follows, more or less, the liturgical calendar. Every year, it seems I have to touch up on the meaning of certain words and seasons. This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, a day of penitence and, well, death. Around the world, Christians will receive the mark of the cross on their foreheads with ashes and be reminded, "From dust you came, and to dust you shall return." And so begins the season of Lent.
I found a website that has a few quotes from people I've never heard of, but still found their words helpful for me. Maybe you will too.
Blessings,Publish Post
West
I found a website that has a few quotes from people I've never heard of, but still found their words helpful for me. Maybe you will too.
Blessings,Publish Post
West
Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Weight of Glory
I am always taken aback at C.S. Lewis' observation in his sermon, The Weight of Glory, that,
...the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified,
Glory Himself, is truly hidden.
I am struck by another observation, the observation that we do not have a spirit, but rather, that we are spirits who have a body. Our flesh is dying, sinful, and at war with our spirit (1 Peter 2.11). Romans 8.13 says, "if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Finally, from this, I've lately found a special power to love people with greater fervor, for when I strain to see them for what they really are at their most basic level (an image of God, a soul whose sinful flesh is often their worst enemy), I find more respect for them brewing in my own soul, more patience, more amazement. I pause, realizing the beauty I must be beholding. This causes me to look even longer at them, trying to see them for who they really are (which is kind of embarassing!). I've found that I get uncomfortable "beholding" other people. We have social rules that tell us not to look to long at others. I'm sure this is a carryover from the awarenes of the nakedness our first parents felt when they were exiled from the Garden.
At the risk of appearing like I'm staring, I plan to soak up the image of God I see in people these days.
...the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendours. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner—no mere tolerance or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbour is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbour he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latitat—the glorifier and the glorified,
Glory Himself, is truly hidden.
I am struck by another observation, the observation that we do not have a spirit, but rather, that we are spirits who have a body. Our flesh is dying, sinful, and at war with our spirit (1 Peter 2.11). Romans 8.13 says, "if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live."
Finally, from this, I've lately found a special power to love people with greater fervor, for when I strain to see them for what they really are at their most basic level (an image of God, a soul whose sinful flesh is often their worst enemy), I find more respect for them brewing in my own soul, more patience, more amazement. I pause, realizing the beauty I must be beholding. This causes me to look even longer at them, trying to see them for who they really are (which is kind of embarassing!). I've found that I get uncomfortable "beholding" other people. We have social rules that tell us not to look to long at others. I'm sure this is a carryover from the awarenes of the nakedness our first parents felt when they were exiled from the Garden.
At the risk of appearing like I'm staring, I plan to soak up the image of God I see in people these days.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Monday, February 05, 2007
Friday, February 02, 2007
Raise the Minimum Wage to a Living Wage
Is it or is it not the right of every hard working American to earn a living wage (or a "family wage")? A wage that is above poverty? I've never been interested in politics, but I see this as a moral issue. Some make 11K AN HOUR, while others make 10K A YEAR. That seems a far too great discrepancy to be American. Is it unfair and immoral to you? Do you think God cares about this? Is this a theological issue, as Wallace claims?
(Be sure to listen to Jim Wallace's comments from 7:50 to 12:06 on this video.)
(Be sure to listen to Jim Wallace's comments from 7:50 to 12:06 on this video.)
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Anderson Crowdster Plus
A new guitar arrives!
A nice guy here in Knoxville let me borrow his Anderson Crowdster Plus a few weeks ago, and I was sold. I decided to get one too. In fact, I've decided to sell a couple of guitars (a classical Taylor and a '72 Tele Delux) and a Line 6 Pod XT Live to cover the costs. (If you're interested, let me know. Otherwise, I'll probably just do the Ebay thing.)
Tom Anderson built the guitar originally to meet the needs of song writer/worship leader David Crowder (and thus the name "Crowdster"). Visit Anderson Guitars to get the lowdown on the history of the guitar's inception.
A nice guy here in Knoxville let me borrow his Anderson Crowdster Plus a few weeks ago, and I was sold. I decided to get one too. In fact, I've decided to sell a couple of guitars (a classical Taylor and a '72 Tele Delux) and a Line 6 Pod XT Live to cover the costs. (If you're interested, let me know. Otherwise, I'll probably just do the Ebay thing.)
Tom Anderson built the guitar originally to meet the needs of song writer/worship leader David Crowder (and thus the name "Crowdster"). Visit Anderson Guitars to get the lowdown on the history of the guitar's inception.
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