Marriage -- There Is No Alternative

If you're not married, or hang out with singles, or have kids who think about sex, read this post by Al Mohler.

A number of friends of mine lost their virginity in 8th grade; and other guys I know continue to run around. All these guys have yet to marry. Maybe I'm the one being sanctimonious, but I've always made a connection between promisuity (yes, I think premarital sex is a moral issue) and resistance to marriage.

Your thoughts?

-w

Songwriting Tips from Fernando Ortega

Bob Kauflin was recently at a conference where Fernando Ortega performed and spoke on songwriting. He posted the points on his blog, Worship Matters: "...here are a few thoughts from Fernando about writing songs for the church to sing:
Don't set out to write a 'hit' and a good song at the same time. Focus on being faithful.

The challenge for us is to find a new way to say what’s been said over and over again about God.

A lot of times you start with a kernel of an idea, but it eventually becomes something very different. You have to be willing to let go of what you begin with it. It may be the 'best thought you've ever had,' but you don’t get to write it down, because its purpose was to lead you to one you'd actually use.

Spend time reflecting on God. That’s what we’re asking people to do when they sing songs – reflect on God. If I’m not doing that, I’m not going to be able to translate that to a song.

Pay attention to your melodies. Work on them. Sing your melody to la-la syllables. Speed up your melody and you might find potential weaknesses in it.

Try playing songs in different keys as you’re writing them. It may open up new possibilities."

Blessings!
-w

"Days of Elijah" - What Does It Mean?

Worship Leader has an interview with Songwriter/Worship Leader Robin Mark where he explains the imagery in the song Days of Elijah. A young man in my church had a difficulty with the line "these are the days of your servant David rebuilding a temple of praise."

RM says that line represents the "restoration of praise and worship to the Church". He goes on to say,

Some folks use the term "Restoration Theology" to describe this restoring of attributes to the Church. But in the song it's mainly a picture of worship.

Of course David didn't get to build the structural temple (that's why the word in the song line is "rebuild"), that was left to Solomon his son, but David was used by God to introduce a revised form of worship, praise and thanksgiving into, firstly, his little tent which he pitched around the Ark of the covenant (the presence of God) and then the temple that Solomon his son built.

This worship, unlike the Mosaic Tabernacle, involved many people being able to come into God's presence and worship Him openly. (In Moses' time only one man, the high priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, once a year. David's tent was a picture of how Christ would enable us to come right into God's presence, through his sacrifice, and worship openly there).

Restored Praise and Worship
If you search carefully through the Book of Amos (chapter 9) you will find reference to this "Restoration of David's Tabernacle." In Acts this prophecy was used to explain, at the council of Jerusalem, why the "gentiles" should be allowed to become Christians and worship their savior without all the legal requirements of the Jewish law. It is also accepted among restoration theologians that this refers to restored Praise and Worship. The physical temple was "Solomon's", David's "temple" was a little tent but you and I are the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It sounds complex, doesn't it? But if you just understand that the line in the song refers to praise and worship before the presence of God just like David enjoyed, then that's all there needs to be to it.

Billy Graham & Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

"No one in history has preached to more people in live audiences than Billy Graham. In late 1949, Graham launched the first of his major crusades in Los Angeles, which lasted a total of eight weeks (other notables included a twelve-week crusade in London in 1954, and a 16-week one in New York City in 1957). However, it was the Los Angeles crusade which made Billy Graham a well-known figure, due in large part to media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Graham had been preaching against Communism in some of his sermons, and Hearst liked what he heard. He communicated two famous words to his editors: “Puff Graham.” Suddenly, publications like TIME, Newsweek, A.P., Quick, and LIFE all featured Billy Graham, and he was launched into national prominence. Graham himself wrote in his autobiography that that crusade “forever changed the face of my ministry and my life.” The Los Angeles crusade was dubbed the “Canvas Cathedral” due to the temporary tents that were set up to accommodate the crowds. Its three-week run was extended to eight weeks, finally ending on November 20, 1949.

In the midst of this remarkable stretch, Billy Graham preached Jonathan Edwards’ famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” In retrospect, it was a fascinating set of circumstances: the man who would become the most famous preacher of the 20th century preaching America's most famous sermon to a new audience many generations later."

(A digital exhibit of the audio files of Graham's sermon, available through the Jonathon Edwards Center at Yale University. This is available to the general public for a limited time. Thanks to Tullian, my friend and Dr. Graham's grandson, for pointing this out to me!)

Brian Doerksen - The Pusuit of Holiness

Christian Music Today did an interviewed songwriter Brian Doerksen regarding his new CD, Holy God; an album I have devoured.

He's one of the founding fathers of what we call "modern worship," but don't tell Brian Doerksen that. He prefers to keep a low profile, which isn't always easy after writing worship standards like "Refiner's Fire" and "Come Now Is the Time to Worship," as well as mentoring and producing at least 25 worship albums. But celebrity doesn't faze him. In fact, his fourth solo album, Holy God (Integrity), is a case study of God's holiness and humanity's nothingness—something he believes much of modern worship is uncomfortable addressing. His own frailty came into sharper focus when he learned that two of his sons had fragile X syndrome, a hereditary mental disorder. In this wide-ranging conversation, Doerksen talks about—among other things—how he and his wife processed their sons' plight, and how they were able to realize God's faithfulness even in the midst of unfulfilled parental expectations.

Click here to read the rest.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Eminem

I'd like to see the fruit of this collaboration!
RTÉ.ie Entertainment: Lloyd Webber keen to work with Eminem

Why Evan Almighty Flopped (And I'm Not Surprised)

John Riley has a cool site called Worship.com. I have a book by him called "Pop Goes Religion". He recently posted an article on the new movie, "Evan Almighty", part of which says:

Why a Christian parent would have an issue with their kids seeing an "R" rated movie like Braveheart or The Patriot but turn them loose to see a PG type movie that diminishes the majesty and awesomeness of God like these movies do (and like it's twenty-or-so-years-ago predecessor "Oh, God" with George Burns and John Denver did) is lost on me. And to read that there are churches who actually considered this film an adequate substitute for worship on a Sunday morning is just simply mind-boggling. Absolutely mind-boggling.

But for the full article, goes here.

Sabbath Day—does it have any application for modern Christians?

A friend of mine recently told my wife that she was spending Sunday at the pool with her family, because her kids had a swim meet that would last all day. Suzanne told her, "Just don't let West find out!"

Suzanne knows what I think about the Sabbath. I can't just can't come to terms with writing off the Fourth Commandment. Call me a legalist, but I think we are still obliged to obey it. Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a "strict sabbatarian," but I do believe in setting aside the Lord's Day as a day of rest from as many unnecessary worldly activities as possible.

Some would say I'm a hypocrite, because I am paid by the church to work to Sundays. Not only that, but (shhh - don't tell anybody) I eat out a lot on Sundays with close Christian friends. But I'm not bothered by that. The way I look at it, the Sabbath is a day of communing with God, feasting with friends, and freeing myself from the frenzy of everyday life. (Thanks Marva Dawn for the great alliteration, "freedom from frenzy", in "Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, p.192.) To me there's no conflict. I'm contributing to the welfare of my city and the individual waiting on us at restaurant.

The other option would be to go home and cook, or microwave, or eat soup or cereal. That's all fine, but then you have dishes to clean; and that's work. (Of course, you could do as John and Noel Piper do, and eat on paper plates with plastic ware. But doesn't that contribute to our growing trash heap of a world? Well, not if you recycle, I guess. But you still are "taking out the trash" on Sunday.)

Considering all that, to me, it's all a wash.

But I'm still a Sabbatarian to a certain degree. And I think this particular article is a good one to read to consider the weightiness of keeping the Fourth Commandment.

And for further thought, consider what the Westminster Confession of Faith says in Chapter 21, "Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day":

7. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.

8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe a holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.

(HT: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbatarian)

What do y'all think?

Christ's peace,
-w

Exclusive Psalmody

Ra McLaughlin has some really good answers regarding exclusive psalmody (the argument that Christians should only sing Psalms in worship) at
Third Millennium Ministries' website. (Be sure to read the question and answer, and the follow up questions and their answers.)

Richard Pratt - The Regulative Principle

This is a great (and short!) article by Dr. Richard Pratt on the regulative principle. The RP says basically that the only worship that is acceptable to God is that worship instituted by himself as prescribed in his word. I know this sounds like a "no duh" issue, but the truth is, there are hundreds of years worth of arguing over such a claim, and how to actually apply the principle in worship.

I encourage you to enlighten yourself by reading Dr. Pratt's article.

-w

God is Neither Faddish Nor Nostalgic

Finally, a good (and quite compelling, I should say) article on strict Psalmody. Though I'm still not persuaded to hang up my guitar and start singing only unaccompanied Psalms in worship, this artcle (God is Neither Faddish Nor Nostalgic: A Brief Inquiry into Church Music and God's Eternity) is quite refreshing and challenging.

Frederick Buechner

We hunger to be known and understood. We hunger to be loved. We hunger to be at peace inside our own skins. We hunger not just to be fed these things but, often without realizing it, we hunger to feed others these things because they too are starving for them. We hunger not just to be loved but to love, not just to be forgiven but to forgive, not just to be known and understood for all the good times and bad times that for better for worse have made us who we are, but to know and understand each other to the same point of seeing that, in the last analysis, we all have the same good times, the same bad times, and that for that very reason there is no such thing in all the world as anyone who is really a stranger.

- Frederick Buechner

from Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons

The Holy of Holies - Are We There Yet?

I wrote my friend, Bob Kauflin, who is the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries, to ask him to further develop his thoughts for me regarding entering the holy of holies now that we are on this side of the cross. From previous statements he's given, I wanted to know more. You can click here to go to his blog where he answers my question.

Bob Dylan on Paul McCartney

"'I'm in awe of McCartney. He's about the only one that I am in awe of. He can do it all. And he's never let up... He's just so damn effortless.'"

Paul Simon's Songwriting

The Washington Post had a great interview with Paul Simon posted on May 18th, called Music, Lyrics In Their Best Order - washingtonpost.com.

As a songwriter, and a lover of Simon's music (I bought one of his CDs in a pawn shop yesterday), this is a great article to keep on hand. So I'm posting it here.

If you're one of the 2 or 3 people that read my blog every once in a while, you know I mostly post on theology, worship and music issues. Just a head's up, you'll probably be seeing more stuff on songwriting.

-w

Revelation Song

This is a video of worship artist Kari Jobe singing Revelation Song. It is powerful. Take a few mnutes and enjoy.

Debate: Are Mormons Christians?

Dr. Albert Mohler, prominent evangelical Christian and president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (and whose blog I enjoy reading), is currently in a debate with Orson Scott Card, a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints, and an accomplished novelist, about whether or not the LDS church is part of the Christian religion, what exactly Latter-day Saints believe, and exactly how the LDS church fits in with traditional Christianity. Very interesting. Especially the comments that are being posted by the hour.

Peace,
-w