No Way To Win

Please watch this video! I'm in a contest for XTRANORMAL movies on "love and relationships." I promise this argument is not autobiographical.

All the Cool Kids are Singing it Part III

This post is the third in what will be a string of posts on the role of the music pastor (or worship pastor or creative arts director or worship arts pastor or whatever you call it) giving special attention to the art of, need for, and absence of indigenous worship in the local church.

I have always had a love/hate relationship with popular church music. Part of me feels a great camaraderie with other churches when I know I can travel across the world and sing the same songs churches sing at home. Part of me is deeply bothered by it.

The part of me that likes it is the part of me that feels immediately comfortable and like I am part of something bigger than the local franchise I belong to. It’s fun to go to conferences where everyone knows the same songs.

The part of me that hates it sits at a conference where they try to do popular songs and turn Crowder into chowder. Or, I will be at a Latino church with a full percussion/hand drum/bongo/conga section where they cover Tomlin and force his 6/8 song in the key of Ab into a 4/4 Salsa structure.

Not too long ago I got asked by a middle-class, white missionary to go to Africa and teach some worship pastors songs in the vein of Worship Together/Vineyard/Maranatha! Music. It would have been a great opportunity but I was heartbroken on how they wanted me to go about helping them.

The indigenous music of the African culture is beautiful but absolutely nothing like what they wanted me to teach. I told them I would consider coming over and teaching them to be the best possible “them” they could be. I would teach them to listen to the music of their culture and emulate and celebrate it.

They refused. They said they wanted to “resource” the pastors, not teach them my philosophy of worship.

I can think of few worse musical blunders than teaching an African band how to play (or even rearrange) popular white-bread-soccer-mom worship tunes. This is what Promise Keepers did a few years back with a Latino version of “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” Painful.

We are more concerned about getting product into people’s hands so they can in turn share the product. We buy the product that is marketed to us because it is easy and accessible. We often choose our music like some choose “art” for their homes by going to Kmart and buying a Thomas Kinkade print. Pre-framed. From the bin.

I will acknowledge my own bias here. I have an adversity to things that are packaged. Things that look and sound like they didn’t take much time. Things that are cookie cutter.

But, I think there is a deeper systemic problem within the church music world. Complacency.

Church musicians don’t need to be great artists, or thinkers, or poets anymore. They don’t have to be proactive. They don’t have to necessarily even work on honing their skills. They just have to know where to go to buy simple, accessible, easily reproducible music.

I saw an ad recently where a church was looking for a worship leader. The description of the person they were looking to hire went something like this:

“Mid to late 20’s, familiar with popular worship music, preferably leads from guitar.”

That was it.

Nothing about passion, art, self-motivation, creativity, skill . . .

Nothing about familiarity with the music culture of the church seeking to fill the position.

Nothing about the music culture of the town the church was in.

Just someone who could reproduce the recipe.

I wonder how it would fly if we searched for senior pastors the same way? “35-45 years old, able to reproduce popular sermons, preferably speaks from a manuscript.”

The worship band has become a jukebox.

I realize I am overstating. I know I have a burn-on for this right now. However, I think we need to start expecting more from our worship music and leaders . . . and ourselves.

Imagine what could happen in churches if musicians approached the music like a good preacher approaches a sermon; taking the temperature of the church, asking God what He wants to say to the people, collecting stories and writing them down, retelling stories, studying, researching, not settling for the same thing they said last week, speaking the language of the culture . . .

Certainly there are wonderful pieces of music that should be considered for your own church’s corporate worship. You don’t have to write it all yourself (although we will talk about that in another post).

There are a lot of songs to choose from. They don’t have to be Top Ten songs. They don’t have to be getting airplay on Christian radio. They don’t have to be written by a “worship” artist.

But I think we need some metrics for discerning what corporate tunes are best for our local franchise of the church. Maybe we should start with these . . .

1. Does this reflect my church’s personality?
2. Do people in my town actually enjoy this kind of music or do they step into church and hear a totally different thing than they are used to hearing? Where do I live? Is this music foreign to my people? (it’s okay to celebrate new genres of music for sure but don’t force a genre into a culture as a norm).
3. What is the most popular radio station in my area? Might I think about more songs that reflect that style?
4. Are there musicians in my church who are good at doing another style of music and can I invite them to share their gift with us? Where are the rappers?
5. Do the lyrics really reflect something our church understands and embraces? If not, am I willing to teach through it? Do I teach through songs for the benefit of non-believers? Is the songs language a barrier to the non-believer?
6. Just because 175 worship music CD’s have this song on it does it mean it’s good?
7. Do the lyrics make sense? Are they intelligent or dumb? Are they forcing rhymes or saying something that matters? (P.S. I don’t think all songs have to teach something).
8. Is the song actually biblical? Have I checked that out?
9. Is this song saying anything new or different? Or, is it the same thing we’ve been saying over and over in the same way?
10. Does this song sound the same as everything else we do (key of G, 4/4, four on the floor, aptly placed solo, etc.)?
11. Does it stretch our creativity and require us to play anything other than strumming and hitting something?
12. Am I doing this song simply because everyone else is or do I really like the song?
13. Does this song have the same kind of rhyming conventions as everything else or is it doing something different than rhyming “face” with “place?”
14. Does this song sound just like the other songs this guy did? If so, why would I want to do this one?
15. Is this song true to who I AM as a musician? Or, do I think I have to be something I am not in order to be a worship musician?
16. When I do this song, does the church actually respond to it in any way, tell me they like it, sing along, or give me any clue we should keep doing it? Should I drop it?

All the Cool Kids are Singing It Part II

This post is the second in what will be a string of posts on the role of the music pastor (or worship pastor or creative arts director or worship arts pastor or whatever you call it) giving special attention to the art of, need for, and absence of indigenous worship in the local church.

First we need to talk about what the role of the worship leader is in scripture. What specifics does the Bible give us for a qualified worship leader and what he or she should be doing?

Nothing.

Well, kinda. The role of worship leader is really an extra-biblical role. It doesn’t mean it is wrong. We certainly assemble a list of general leadership qualities from scripture. We can read about singers and poets and musicians. We know pastoral qualifications. But, the role of worship pastor or leader is a role we have created in the church.

Quite frankly, we can say the same thing about the role of senior pastor, children’s pastor, youth pastor, and a myriad of other roles.

So, God gives us an incredible amount of freedom in crafting roles that best suit the needs of local franchises of the kingdom.

So, what do we do at Westwinds? What is the role in our environment?

At The Cue (our weekend shindig) , our aim is to facilitate an environment—celebratory, liberating, engaging, full of hope and expectation, affirming, restoring, free of distractions, thought provoking, and reflective—where individuals can meet with God (though it will not always be all of those things at once).

Our goal is not to get people to worship corporately. Though certainly, that happens in our environment. We cannot manipulate it if we tried by nature of worship being an act of an individual’s own will. We can influence and create space conducive for it.

But worship—biblically speaking—is a responsive way of living. It is more fabric and global than simply an act or strictly about music or any interactive vehicle we may design. Typically, church nomenclature has minimized and contextualized worship into acts largely revolving around music as well as other acts within the “worship service.”

But we still have worship services. And, the corporate worship experience can be an amazing response.

Yet, I am troubled at how homogenized, uniform, similar, streamlined, and packaged our corporate worship has become in the church world. It’s an assembly line.

It’s Costco.
It’s IKEA.
It’s ClipArt.

I would suggest one of the most often overlooked roles that should be honed in a worship leader is that of . . . artist. You would think that would be a “duh.”

As worship artists/musicians, people who best connect with God through creative expression, our role is to create. To make things.

We create space.
We create vibe.
We create reflections of godliness.

But, the corporate nature of the church has molded artists into it’s own image.

We are losing our ability to discern what is good, what is mediocre and what is crap.

Furthermore, we are losing our ability to foster creative environments, respond to what is going on around us, speak into the chaos, and create commentary and discussion in light of our local church.

Is it wrong to cover the latest Chris Tomlin song in church? Absolutely not. It might be perfect.

But, I would suggest if we sit back and take what the industry is giving us without question and kid ourselves into thinking “it must be good because everyone else is singing it” we are slowly dying.

If we constantly allow someone else to tell us what our congregation needs, we are missing out. And, we are probably lazy.

And . . .

We are killing our imaginations.

We spend more time thinking about how to copy the chord progressions and find the right inversions of chords than we do dreaming, searching, and making.

All the Cool Kids are Singing It

Some time ago every church I know was singing Matt Redman’s, “Heart of Worship.”

I love the story behind the song. Matt told us when we were in Ireland a few years back that it came out of an experience in their own church where they recognized while they were contributing to a worship music revival of sorts, they had somehow found themselves wandering and trying to find meaning in their own musical expression.

And so the words . . .

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus.

Beautiful song. I’m sure many identified with it. In many ways, I did personally.

It was a song born out of a particular experience.

From a particular franchise of the kingdom.

It hit a nerve with many churches and they embraced it.

But we never sang it at Westwinds.

Because it wasn’t us.

When the song came out, a lot Westwinds was not concerned about coming back to the heart of worship.

There was no coming “back.”

They hadn’t been there.

I have had a love/hate relationship with the “worship music” machine. There is great pressure in the church music world to sing the next new thing put out by the latest and greatest of worship music artists. The latest song pimped at a conference. The next song by “that person.”

And some of them are amazing.

I think most are not.

Every once in a while I find a gem that surprises me like a stray dog on the porch. I take it in and keep it forever. But, honestly, most of it . . .

Sounds the same.

Doesn’t move me.

Isn’t well thought out.

Is repetitive.

Doesn’t say anything new.

Is the same chord progression as the last.

Sounds Hickory Dickory Dock.

Bores me.

Is dumbed down.

And . . .

Doesn’t speak to our individual experience.

I know this sounds cynical to some of you. Fair enough. I am at times. But this is not a rant about the motives of the industry or artists.

My concern is for the church.

Do we really believe what we are singing? Do the songs we sing resonate with our people?

Too often songs are introduced to our churches simply because they are available and easy and it's getting airplay on the Christian station. But that doesn't make it good.

The only reason the industry keeps cranking out garbage is because . . . we buy it.

And even if a song is good, it doesn't mean we should be singing it.

Over the years, we have celebrated MANY songs written by some great artists. We have sung them shoulder to shoulder with many churches across the world. Many have become anthems for the kingdom.

But, I would argue much of what we sing in our churches is because we think we “should” be singing it. Because all the cool kids are. Or because “that” artist wrote it and he/she is “anointed.” Or because a label or organization is pimping it.

In many cases, I feel like the church is eating the cafeteria hot lunch it is being served because they signed up for the cheap meal plan. The food is accessible and affordable so we just consume it.

We need to get in the kitchen.

This post is the first in what will be a string of posts on the role of the music pastor (or worship pastor or creative arts director or worship arts pastor or whatever you call it) giving special attention to the art of, need for, and absence of indigenous worship in the local church.

Chapter One of "King Me"

Here is a sample of my latest book, "King Me." It's the entire first chapter (minus the QR Codes in the print version). You can buy "King Me" from Amazon by clicking here.

Chapter One: Jailhouse Rock

Psalm 47 (NIV)
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.

1 Clap your hands, all you nations;
shout to God with cries of joy.
2 How awesome is the LORD Most High,
the great King over all the earth!
3 He subdued nations under us,
peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us,
the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
Selah
5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
sing to him a psalm of praise.
8 God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings of the earth belong to God;
he is greatly exalted.

If the Kingly Psalms were a rock opera (and that’s how I like to think of them), Psalm 47 would certainly do a good job of rocking the house from the start.

“Crank up the drums. Crank out the bass. Crank up my Les Paul in your face (a quote from Sammy Hagar’s ‘There’s Only One Way to Rock.’ It’s a fun song even if it isn’t true).”

Scholars have written many things about how to read the Psalms. We will discuss some of them here. Understanding form, genre, history, poetic device, setting, tone, word structure, original language . . . they can all be helpful in our study of the scriptures, and I think it is good to pursue all those avenues.

But while there are some very helpful scholarly tools to help us understand the Psalms, I like to start by asking,

“How does it make me feel?”

“How does this song move me?”

Honestly, this is how we approach any other piece of literature or art. We take it in, examining how it moves us. And good literature should move us.

Otherwise, we call it a textbook.

The Bible is not a textbook, just something we study. It is not simply a roadmap. It is full of poetry, song, romance, intrigue, murder, deception, history, prophecy, sex, love letters, wisdom . . . the list goes on.

So read Psalm 47. How does it make you feel?

There are nations clapping.

People shouting.

Cries of joy.

Celebration.

There has been a victory.

Promises have come true.

There is music.

The Tower of Power horn section is there.

People are singing.

Someone is shouting out instructions like a Jazzercise© instructor.

“Sing praises!”

Someone is pointing to a King.

It’s a party.

It’s chaotic.

It’s Jailhouse Rock.

I’ve heard the Book of Psalms defined as an “instruction book” for us. Many books and devotionals have been written on how to “use” the Psalms to better your life.

Everything within me rejects that notion.

Maybe it’s because I’m a feeler. Or a songwriter. Or a poet. They all blend together.

I can’t read a Psalm like Psalm 47 and think of it as instruction manual.

It’s an invitation.

It’s a call to get on the Soul Train.

Could you imagine reading a book about “how to throw a party” and actually enjoying it?

1) Buy neato lights
2) Stock the fridge
3) Clean the house
4) Send out invitations
5) Plan some neato games

By reading that “how to” book, would you actually become a better partier?

The only way we can possibly view the book of Psalms as “instruction” is to place ourselves in the middle of the party and allow the psalmist to be our DJ.

If the psalmist is calling out dance moves, then sure, I can see it as instruction.

However, the instruction isn’t like being prescribed medicine, it’s instruction that comes by trying it on for size.

It’s not step-by-step instruction.

It’s instruction by immersion.

My wife is a great cook. In order to enjoy her food I simply have to open up my mouth and put the food inside. The experience is the lesson. If I don’t try it, I don’t enjoy it.

I need to experience her cooking in order to enjoy it. Reading her recipes, while she is a good writer, is not fun and it doesn’t fill me up.

The instruction in the Psalms is that of accepting the invitation and experiencing God’s goodness along with the blessing of unity with His people.

There is a scene that is played over and over in movies—it is a tried and true motion picture device. You can probably think of ten movies that use this same formula:

1. Somebody is depressed (usually over a guy or girl breakup).

2. The friends stand by, telling their friend to pull out of it and “cheer up” (usually with something like eating ice cream out of the carton together).

3. Then someone gets an idea to do something really crazy to shake their friend out of this state of blah (a trip to Vegas usually works).

4. Next thing you know, they blow off work and pull an all- nighter celebrating and remembering what really matters—they have each other.

The empty talk and instruction to “pull out of it” never works. It takes breaking the routine and monotony, pulling together as friends to do something a little crazy, to move on and regain focus.

Maybe the Psalms are a little like a trip to Vegas (without the hangover or the regrets).

But only if we go.

Reading the brochure doesn’t count.

Still, the Psalms are more than instruction. More than invitation.

They give permission.

To join in.

To shout.

To dance.

To laugh.

To cry.

There is a big “feeling” element to the Psalms.

My aunt Jane is a published poet and my uncle Bob is a painter. I spent a lot of time with them as I was growing up. Aunt Jane read me poetry and taught me how to write it. Uncle Bob gave me blank canvases, paint, and turpentine and coached me to make pictures. They also had a Kimball “Magic Chord” organ and a few songbooks they encouraged me to mess around with.

Auntie Jane and Uncle Bob encouraged me to perform as well—to share what I had created or learned. When family came over, they would ask me to stand on the coffee table and sing.

I remember very clearly performing Eagles’ “Best of My Love” for all my cousins and their families. It was just part of who I was and who I was becoming.

It was natural.

Doesn’t everybody sing and perform and paint and stuff?

Later in life, I found out the answer was “no.” At least, not without encouragement, freedom, and permission.

Their encouragement and permission gave me the freedom I enjoy in worship today.

As I got older, I lived with that same reckless abandon and freedom of expression my auntie and uncle fostered in me. But . . .

The church tried to beat it out of me.

Not “The” Church, but the little church I was part of with my parents for awhile.

We sang while holding hymnals, starring straight ahead, not too much volume in our voices, definitely not making up any parts or straying from what the page said, cold, monotonous . . . I’m getting shivers thinking about it.

I so badly wanted to shake things up a bit. I asked if I could play guitar to liven the mood and use my talent for the church.

I was turned down.

Guitar was an instrument of decadence to these folks. Guitars drew attention to themselves, along with a host of other instruments. There would be no guitar in The Sovereign Grace Reformed Baptist Church of Foresthill, California.

I wonder if they ever read the Psalms.

That was my experience.

So who beat you up?

Who or what tried to steal your joy?

What made or makes you scared to engage?

There is a great deal of freedom, encouragement and permission to participate in the Psalms. You don’t have to look at the Psalms that are specifically music-centric (like Psalm 150) to see that celebration is part of the deal for the people of God. Even when instruments are not specifically mentioned (though implied since these are songs) there is a great rumble. Loudness.

Continuing with the “how it makes us feel” line of observation, let’s ask some questions, looking more closely at what and who the people (and we by invitation) are celebrating.

Psalm 47 is grouped with 93-100 as a Kingly Psalm because of similar language, tone, and so on. But here, sandwiched in between 46 and 48, it makes great sense. 46 and 48 celebrate a kingdom, a city within a kingdom and a holy place.

This place is Zion—The Holy Mountain.

This place has a King.

This King is victorious.

Over all kings and kingdoms.

Commentators point out that this imagery of a mountain, a city, and a king is metaphorical language very similar to the language used to describe the myths of the Canaanite pantheon of gods, whose chief deity was named El. In their mythology, El had a palace on a mountain, and all good things flowed from there.

The Hebrew poets may have borrowed this imagery to one-up the myths. Psalm 47 invites all nations and peoples to examine Yahweh, the great King, who rules over all.

But it’s not just an “our God can beat up your god” sentiment, though there is a bit of that in the Psalms. It is an invitation. It is what some might call evangelistic in nature. It is headline news: Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Yahweh is King. Come join the party.

Some believe this song was commissioned and composed for use in the Hebrew temple corporate worship liturgy in connection with the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). It was at one of these celebrations that King Solomon dedicated the temple in I Kings 8.

Imagine the scene. All the elders of Israel were called together along with the heads of the tribes, the priests, and the families. Thousands were there when The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the temple.

It was like one of those college frat parties where word leaks out and the next thing you hear is someone saying, “How in the world did this happen?” Where did all these cars come from?

Except, in this case, no one said, “My dad is gonna kill me.”

Dad was pleased.

God’s presence showed up like a cloud and filled the temple.

King Solomon blessed the people and prayed. He reminded them of God’s promises and what He brought them through and gave a passionate speech about the ultimate King, Yahweh.

He reminded the people that it was not about them.

The temple could not contain God.

The foreigner was welcome.

They partied for fourteen days straight.

I love the very center of the Psalm—verses 5 and 6:

God has ascended amid shouts of joy,
The Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God.
Sing praises.
Sing praises to our King.
Sing praises.

The “centers” of Psalms are important (we’ll talk more about this in chapter 2). They are like the bridge, the part you are supposed to get. They are the summary. They drive it home.

In Elvis’s rendition of “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You,” I have always loved the bridge:

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be

The rest of the song is important. The other lyrics matter. They fill it out. They set the tone. But here, the melody breaks into a haunting minor key that stands out and grabs your attention. If you get nothing else, know that “I Can’t Help . . .” is a song about fate. Love happens. Just like water flows downhill into the sea.

And so it is with the center of Psalms like 47. If you get nothing else, in case you are wondering what this song is about . . .

Yahweh is King.

There is a party.

You are invited.

Sing. Sing. Sing. Sing.

We will see similar sentiments throughout the Kingly Psalms.

So, how does Psalm 47 make ME feel? I feel like dancing. I feel like rocking. I’m bringing my guitar. I have been invited and given permission to raise the roof. Everyone is dancing.

Best Fails

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Westwinds Staff Covenant

“When you make a vow to the Lord, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill your vow. It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
--Ecclesiastes 5:4-5

I promise . . .

To Communicate
I will share my feelings honestly, and work at solving problems peacefully. When there is conflict or issues between us, I will initiate dialogue in an effort to bring resolution and understanding. I will let my “yes” be “yes” and my “no” be “no”. I will not expect you to read my mind. I will not play head games and expect you to know the right answers and have the right solutions. I will proactively, politely, calmly, and lovingly express my thoughts and feelings. I promise to discuss problems with you in an environment that is free from anger and reaction to the situation at hand.

To Be a Team Player
I will strive after consistency, accountability, punctuality, and loving unity. I will look for ways to encourage, support and serve you. I will do my best to be more than physically present in work related issues with you and will seek to have my mind and heart engaged during these times. I will support the team by honoring the commitments I make, be a good financial steward in overseeing my budget, and giving my best.

To Listen
I will listen very carefully to you and consider your needs rather than insist on having my own way. I will strive to keep from forming my answers, opinions, and/or defense while you are speaking—I will focus on you when you have the floor. I will seek to understand and relate, sympathize and empathize. I will be a shoulder to cry on and a friend to laugh with.

To Respect You
I understand the value and worth of every individual. I will follow the proper channels of authority when communicating even while realizing we’re all on the same team. I recognize there are systems and procedures put in place with the team’s best interest in mind, and I understand and submit to that, understanding hierarchy is not equated with value. I will honor you as an individual with your own likes, dislikes, tastes, boundaries, style, identity and personality. I will respect you by practicing spiritual, moral, and sexual purity.

To Honor You
I may not agree with everything you say. I may have a different point of view. I may have a different way of doing things. However, I promise I won’t devalue you or make you feel like you have no worth When I have an opportunity to talk about you in public, I will do so in a way that is honorable to you.

To Value You
I will encourage you and look for ways to praise you. I will hold you in high regard and protect you by refusing to gossip or slander you. I will not step on you, use you, or take advantage of you. I will also hold you accountable in a loving way because I care about you and have your best interest at heart.

To Love You
I will not manipulate you for my own gain. I will serve you. I will stay faithful to our relationship. I will make sacrifices for you.

To Seek God
I understand that you are not my savior and I am not yours. I do not fully comprehend and understand all the wonders of God. However, I promise to seek Him out, to learn more about Him, and to ask for His help in shaping a healthy relationship between us.