Don't knock me down. I'm carrying the Ark.

For a while now I’ve been fascinated with the relationship between Priests and Levites. There certainly is a powerful model of fellowship and unity that exists between these appointed Biblical orders.

Consider the following passages (NLT):

“Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to Jerusalem. Then the Levites carried the Ark of God on their shoulders…” (I Chro. 15:14-15)

“David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites, who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of lyres, harps and cymbals.” (I Chro 15:16)

“David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship…” (I Chro 16:4)

“The work of the Levites was to assist the priests, the descendants of Aaron, as they served the house of the Lord….And each morning they stood before the Lord to sing songs of thanks and praise to him. They assisted with the burnt offerings…” (I Chro 23:28-32)

The Old Testament gives examples of priests who played instruments, Levites who carried the ark, Priests who carried the ark, and Levites who sang. Their roles seemingly intertwined without difficulty or anxiety. Both priests and Levites served faithfully to guarantee that the sacrifice went up to God and the work of HIS tabernacle continued.

Priests and Levites = Preachers and Musicians?

When I think of Priests and Levites, I start thinking about Preachers and Worship Leaders/Musicians. Sadly, few music leaders ever experience joy, honor and God-ordained unity in their associations with a preacher or pastor. Trust me, I fully understand the fragile ground on which I am gingerly treading!

It is not uncommon to hear a well-meaning preacher launch into a diatribe of frustration and lecture about the glaring flaws that exist in his own music department OR the ministry of music at large. In my 14 years of ministry, I have heard musicians and singers chastised for pride. Warned about homosexuality. Instructed that the Word has pre-eminence over the Song. Informed that no other department brings a pastor as much grief. Reprimanded for not worshipping. Cautioned against secular musical influence. Humbled into a state of Kingdom-worthlessness.

And through it all, many of my colleagues are simply striving to accomplish what David ordered years ago. Our passion is to carry the Ark on our shoulders. We seek to fulfill our part in the sacred act of ushering in the presence of God.

I see fellow worship leaders and musicians who function as Prophets and Teachers and Evangelists. (Aside: The Bible clearly defines music as prophetic in nature. It also defines singing as being for purposes of instruction or teaching. And every pastor would identify music as a potential evangelistic tool in their community.) However, those who carry the mantle of Pastor are not embracing the Prophets, Teachers and Evangelists around them if they do not appear in the anticipated cloaking of a licensed minister. (See random picture of preachers at General Conference! Used for illustrative purposes only.)

Although I could write a lengthy commentary, I’d rather provoke individual thought. Perhaps one day the following questions will be discussed in a safe, neutral environment. Consider this my proverbial can of worms… here comes the can opener:

Questions to Ponder

1. If priests and Levites worked so closely in the OT tabernacle model, can we not see precedent for a great camaraderie between preachers and music leaders?

2. Do preachers mistakenly fail to draw a worship leader into their inner circle, choosing instead to only openly dialogue with other “preacher” personalities? Does this create tunnel vision because the preacher has not widened his or her perspective? Does it also contribute to a lack of shared vision?

3. If pastors and evangelists were able to dialogue in a healthy, spiritual way about the music ministry with those who are involved in it, would it eliminate the need for public rants about their pet peeves? Do we have a bunch of “frustrated” pastors that just need to “sit down and talk it out” instead?

4. Is it possible that we have witnessed such failure rate among worship leaders/musicians because we have not placed appropriate importance on the sacred, spiritual role of worship leaders and music? If the music ministry is not mentored by a transparent, communicative leader is it possible that he/she will never reach their full, God-ordained potential?

5. Finally, because I am a woman, I wonder if some of this lack of communication and camaraderie results from the gender issue? Is it difficult for pastors to have good discussion with female leaders because they are working to maintain appropriate safeguards?

Musing from my music-logged mind....

The past few weeks I've been preparing for a choir workshop I'm heading up next week. It's a blessing when the choir is excited, and the musicians are hard at it, hashing through all those chord sheets. One concern I always have in this situation is that I know I have very specific music likes and dislikes and, thus it's difficult to find music that I will enjoy teaching and the choir and musicians will enjoy singing and playing.

Well, I obviously missed it this time! (chuckle) After mailing my packet of CD's and chord sheets I got a few emails from various choir members requesting different songs. They weren't rude, just had some songs they had wanted to sing and thought this was their opportunity. Now, don't misunderstand, I was very happy that they chimed in - after all it's their choir workshop, and they are stuck with those songs long after I leave! But this all got me to thinking about my blog a couple of months ago in which I wondered who is the "poet" of Pentecostal music. While in this blog Kent and I concluded that it must be Israel Houghton, I want to submit another name: Chris Tomlin. At least in my home church. It appears from my recent experience and some conversations I've had with a few friends, that these two guys share the top spot. Think about it for a moment: where would we be without their recent additions to our musical repertoire? Over and over it seems that when I hear a new song I really like and ask who it is by, inevitably it's one of these two!

So that brings me to the question: Since Chris Tomlin and Israel Houghton are so different in style, what determines which one we choose? Does it have to do with the difficulty? It's obvious that Chris Tomlin's music is very straightforward in chord structure and melody line. Try writing out a chord sheet for some of Israel's songs and you're in for a trip! I have to think that those of us who cut our teeth on the black gospel craze in the 80's and 90's might prefer Israel's music since it is such a fusion of gospel, jazz, and rock. Or is it the setting that determines the choice? Some congregations might have trouble singing some of Israel's songs, especially older congregations. Although I realize there are exceptions to all of these scenarios, it seems that for the most part, that's the rule. Then again, there's alway the regional influence. Do folks in the south prefer one or the other? I'd like to know, for no other reason but to satisfy my wondering mind. I just find it fascinating that we Ap's seem to latch on to certain artists so tightly. I sure hope these guys don't decide to hang it up and start selling books door to door - we'll all be in trouble.

Now I'm off to reign in my wondering, music-logged mind.

Happy July!

By the way, sorry for no photo - blogger is not cooperating.

Also, since I always forget to do this, I'm reading Sacco & Vanzetti by Bruce Watson and you know what I'm listening to...

The Ancient and the Modern*

I can't believe I'm late. Sorry. I was supposed to post yesterday.

I have a hard time imagining David, the shepherd, walking along humming quietly to himself. I have a hard time imagining him with harp in hand plucking out a tune, much less playing before the king, soothing the king's troubled soul. For one thing, we don't have a copy of David's harp. We can reconstruct one based on imagined ideas of tuning or modes, but in reality there is no way to know what those songs sounded like at all. Which is too bad. I'd really like to hear some authentic praise.*

Not that what we sing isn't authentic praise. I like our contemporary gospel sound, whatever its guise. Despite my posturing, I have an honest respect for most all forms of spiritual-musical expression. (As well as many forms of less spiritual musical endeavours). But some of the music that touches me the most comes from African voices.

I had an experience last year where we had the privilege to travel to Ghana and worship at one of the local churches in the capital by the Bible school. I was scheduled to speak and had chosen as my text an excerpt from Psalm 1, "he shall be like a tree, planted by the rivers of water." As I was preparing notes, a melody formed in my mind around those words. Or I should say I started to craft what I perceived to be an African-influenced melody. Or maybe I should say instead that God gave me a tune to go with those words. It had the same first three notes as the chorus "There is Power, Power, Wonder Working Power" -- but the tune diverged considerably from the rhythmic and melodic thrust of that song.

In any event, during the service, just before speaking, I started singing this little song. I had asked the musicians and the choir to stay in place and help me, and to my everlasting pleasure, the musicians and choir actually started playing and singing this little song with me, with some slight rhythmic adjustments more suited to their style. After the service it was related to me by one of the missionaries that one the local guys asked either whether or how I knew that was a song they sang. I'm sure he didn't mean the words, but rather, the tune. Apparently it was similar enough to something they sang that they thought it was the same song.

I feel like I should close this post with some sort of pedagogical application (how in your life have you experienced composition, inspiration, etc.) or maybe offer some kind of philosophical musing on God's role in the inspiration of composition, but that's not where I'm at today. I'm just left with the simple fact that God is, and I delight in Him.



* Any similarity to titles of books on my shelf by the title of this post or another phrase in this post is purely coincidental and has no intentional overt or subtle added meaning.

THE POST

I was having a casual conversation with an acquaintance who stated that she saw no reason for her church to pay copyright fees for the music they used in their weekly services. She said that because of the small size of the church and the fact that they didn't record their services, there was no legal obligation on their part to pay anything to the songwriters for using their songs. I tried in a tactful way to inform her that she was in fact very wrong about the issue. This person became very angry, and because I am not actively collecting copyright fees for songwriters, I let the matter drop. 

After this encounter, I have discovered that my fellow music minister is not in the minority with this mindset. I know of only two churches in my area who pay any sort of copyright fees, and they are considered "smaller" churches by this area's standards. 

I am posting far too early to say that I have done any significant research on this subject, but I want to share some impressions regarding the matter. I am finding that music ministers, pastors, and congregation members respond with a self righteous "why should we pay for worshiping God?" to which I usually respond, "because it is the law." The rest of the people I have spoken to about this issue seem not to care one way or the other. If their church pays, fine, if not, that's fine too. I suppose this would be the post modern young people, but this hasn't been an official survey with demographic breakdowns. 

QUESTIONS

I wonder if this is a topic we should try to present at our music conferences? Would it make people more aware? uncomfortable? convicted? 

THE LAW (Yes, yes, yes, we are set free from this)

The law requires churches to pay copyright fees for having lyrics displayed by slide or transparencies, recording a song service on a church CD, and even keeping a database of songs for your church computer. 

Within our Apostolic/Pentecostal movement, would you say that we abide by the law, make excuses for why we can't, or do we just not care?

Mittelgrund

Robin Johnston, curator of The Center For The Study of Oneness Pentecostalism (a.k.a. my illustrious boss), pointed me to a chapter in a very interesting book, “The Future Of Pentecostalism In The United States” by Eric Patterson. Chapter four, entitled “Music in the Pentecostal Movement,” by Calvin M Johansson, hit directly on some of the conversations carried out on this blog. As time and space do not permit me to share it all, I wanted to present an interesting point or two from this chapter.

“The arts influence as well as reflect the values of a culture. They also influence and reflect the values of religious institutions. Everyone, including believers, has a worldview which regulates artistic choice.” (pg 49) Johansson then sets out to follow the progress of the arts in the Pentecostal movement, dividing them into three categories: Hintergrund – ca. 1900-1945; Mittelgrund – 1945-2000; and Vordergrund – 2000-present. (pg 50)

Because of the aforementioned limits, I wanted to bring up a few points Johansson made in reference to the “Mittelgrund- 1945-2000.” Prior to this period music was chosen on the basis of its functionality. Music during the period 1900-1945 mirrored the popular songs of this time. Johansson shares that most people preferred “low art” – folk songs, ballads, etc. – and so the church “fostered a philosophical attitude of musically accommodating the gospel.” (pg 52-3) I found this very interesting in light of the recent conversations on this blog regarding the hymn/chorus debate, in addition to other arguments on this website which claim hymns to be more “spiritual” than choruses.

On to the Mittlegrund….

Johnansson states that the “strong worshiper participation in congregational singing waned as the years of the Mittelgrund (1945-2000) advanced.” (pg 54) Folks no longer felt free or compelled to simply shout out a musical selection; instead they were chosen by a song leader or worship band. He states that music in the church became less of a congregational effort and shifted more to the “leaders and electronic gadgetry.” (pg 54) This next statement, which I’m still pondering, has troubled me quite a bit: “Going to church became an activity in which one sat back lost in the crowd to watch worship unfold.”

Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), according to Johansson has taken church music by storm. He makes the argument for the “objective Biblical connections” found in hymns, which were left behind for “emotionalistic euphoria” found in CCM. (pg 57) It seemed to me that, after considering that early church music simply resulted from putting religious words to popular music tunes/styles, that we haven’t really changed that much. But then I read this next statement, which again, I’m still pondering: “The music of rock [1950’s] was entertainment music, pure and simple. It had no redeeming qualities of edification or aesthetic enrichment – qualities that the better gospel songs shared in to some degree.” Johansson goes on to argue that when we place lyrics to “a music of rebellion, frivolity, or amusement” we do not change the music’s basic ethos. Entertainment music used in worship transform[s] worship into entertainment.” (pg 57)

And so I wonder....

Having quoted and said all that, I have to wonder if the source of the friction we often feel in our music comes from this supposed shift to entertainment as opposed to spontaneous participation. We all have to admit that our music has become more and more complicated. I’m as guilt as the next person of setting in service at my church or a music conference and focusing on the complexity of the music (the pushes, the syncopation, the progressions, etc.) instead of participating and absorbing the message. I don’t know that this argument will ever be settled – seems it’s been going on since the beginning of our movement. I’ve got a lot to think about here – and the rest Johansson’s chapter to read!

Musings, Shmoozings, and Shots of Novocaine

Hello Friends!

As I've mentioned before, I am a public school employee specializing in primary education in the Exceptional Student Education department of my children's school. I am a part of inclusion interventions for children with all sorts of problems ranging from ADD to Asperger's, Autism and Dyslexia.

It is the most fun I've ever had.

It is the least I've ever been paid.

And now since it is summer I am unemployed for the next two months. I'll be honest: I am not thinking about music...at all. I've explored the local beach, went swimming with my kids at my friend's house who was out of town, hit up Starbucks and GameStop (the latter being my least favorite but I suffer it because I have boys). Did I mention I'm selling my home? So let's just say I'm not writing songs right now unless they involve laundry folding. However, since it is my week I'll just share a few funny things from my life where music is not the focus of the musing, but rather the background noise - the wallpaper if you will.

FUNNY

So as I mentioned I teach little kids with problems how to read. My husband loves my stories, and really they can be quite hilarious. If in fact you are ever in Clearwater and we are sitting around a table at Chili's I will share my "Ground hog's Day" story or the "The Never-End Salutation." Uh, I digress.

So imagine my surprise Sunday morning when while I am leading praise and worship I look down to see a little familiar face standing next to my five-year-old son (who is a permanent fixture at the altar during P&W). So I'm placing....I'm placing....ohmyword!! It's "Jose" from my school! This little boy is the source of many of my funny stories. He is the sweetest little rascal who is, what we who deal daily with Autism call "on the spectrum". He has autism and serious language issues. He is our conundrum, but arguably our favorite conundrum. I've had plenty of conversations with his wonderful family, who happen to live close to our church, but being that I am a county employee I have not had the guts to outright invite them. I have told them where my church is and that I pray for them. I guess they put two and two together and came on over. So there is "Jose" pretty much climbing up the steps to greet me, his face beaming with recognition. I love this kid. So I gently take his hand and give him a quick hug and hand him over to the Sunday School director. I love my job. I love my church. This is a place that can be interrupted for a child without conflict. Kinda like Christ.

In The Chair

I'm terrified of dental work. Once while getting my first root canal I had such a reaction to the epinephrine in the pain medicine they were administering that I had a full on panic attack in the chair.

"IS THIS NORMAL?!" I asked while legs are arms were flailing uncontrollably. The doctor said "yes" while shaking her head No.

Since then I put off getting a crown so long that I had to have an emergency extraction the day before my brother-in-laws wedding. I drove myself an hour to the oral surgeon and then had to sadly refuse the narcotics they gladly offered. After the doctor proceeded to list the negative results pulling a tooth can invoke (did you know you could have a heart attack from this?) I decided upon music therapy along with novocaine.

While they yanked, and drilled, pelted with what felt no less like hammer and chisel, I hummed rather loudly:

I hear the Savior say,

“Thy strength indeed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all.”

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

As the The Excavator removed his rubber gloves he turned to me and said, "Yes, He did pay it all. More than we could ever afford to repay."

So there you have it devoted Notes readers. I have posted. And now I will go have a sugar-free popcicle. Enjoy your summer! And take time to sing!

Music Ministry

I had an opportunity for ministry recently where I was talking with someone who was going through a struggle. This person has had a difficult time relating to God from a "going to church" or "reading the Bible" kind of perspective, but in the moment, the words of scripture came to me in song. And so I sang. And God touched that person through music.

It is easy for us to overlook the difference music can make in our everyday life. When we think of music ministry we usually look to the worship leader or praise singer or instrumentalists. Or we look to the "special" musical selection. But we need to be aware of the opportunities there are to reach people on an individual level through music.

What about going to a nursing home and playing or singing some old songs? The songs may even be from a Presbyterian or Methodist hymnal, or whatever the majority of residents are. Just a thought.

I've followed with interest the thread on whether we should cater a musical style to reach the youth all the while seeking to retain a balance in our services and ensuring that the hymns are never replaced. Of course I believe it is good to maintain a diversity of musical styles. But how many of our churches have silver-haired worship leaders? In addition to ensuring that the songs we sing were written or made popular within the last ten years, wouldn't it also be good to have at least one of our rotating cadre of worship leaders be one that has had fifty or sixty years' of experience singing Pentecostal music? I have no doubt there are some churches that do, but those seem few and far between.

Lastly, when we talk about the need to incorporate a hymn into our worship services here and there, (at least one per service, if not more) I think it would be good to emphasize the positive qualities of such songs as opposed to viewing it from the perspective of the need to minister to the elder saints. It seems to me the quality and depth of message in most hymnal songs outweighs that of most contemporary worship songs. Granted, some of the songs currently making the rounds skimp less on message than those that were popular a few years back. But we still face a serious shortage of original music trumpeting the distinctives of our Oneness message.