A Musical Time Warp

Bible College Reunion Time. It’s great for dredging up nostalgic emotions, and reminding you how old you’ve gotten at the same time. I wandered around same historic campus. Ate breakfast at the same round tables in the cafeteria. And reminisced about the good old days galore. But one of my favorite parts was an impromptu exercise when the classes from different decades each sang a song that represented their era.

As well as I can remember, the Sixties & Seventies graduates went first with the traditional school song. The Eighties sang something I don’t remember (Sorry!). The Nineties clowned around, holding up a lit cell phone while they sang “Your Grace and Mercy.” Then it was our turn. We new millennium babies had the works with funky sounding piano chords, string-popping bass riffs, and uncoordinated choreography. It was a hilarious, beautiful mess. The audience was “blessed” with my keyboard skills during this exercise, and here I thought I had left the dreaded duty of playing in Chapel far behind me. To all who had to listen that day, I sincerely apologize.

Now this is the time where I could draw out some moral lesson of how you can worship God, no matter what the style or musical ability, but that’s not really my point. In fact, I’m not sure I have a point. The truth is we were having fun. Messing around. And certainly not trying to touch anyone’s heart with our songs. But in the midst of all that clowning, I think a lot of hearts were touched – at least mine was. One of the best side effects of music is that it often acts as a time machine, instantly transporting us to happy memories of the past with the use of a few familiar notes. My brain lost any worthwhile recollection of algebraic formulas and the table of elements a long time ago, but I can still sing you many tunes from High School Chorus (some even in Latin). There are countless little ditties packed inside my cranium, and, though sometimes annoying, I want them all to stay right where they are. Each song has a memory attached, and I’m grateful for the emotional nudge it gives me that brings a smile to my face, and helps me feel like a kid again.

Kid's Eat First?

There has been a lot of weighty topics floating around Notes in the past several weeks. I’ve cocked my head and said “hm..” more than once or twice. And in typical reflective fashion, my own brain has been the ‘lucky’ recipient of many brilliant replies! Without doubt, the neurons are firing. I thought I would tag into Ann’s recent post and tackle Dr. James Little’s thought-provoking question:

Are youth the only age group we are trying to attract?

The obvious answer is, No. But maybe yes? And is it OK to say yes? In the interest of stimulating great conversation, let me present a model that has influenced my own song-selection philosophy.

The Dinner Table Model

Ross Parsley serves as worship pastor at New Life Fellowship in Colorado Springs and is a dynamic worship leader, recording artist and teacher on worship. At IWI (International Worship Institute) several years ago he presented a model for cross-generational worship which equated our worship offerings and musical selections with the “family table.”

Think about a dinner table in a home with children. (Tragic, but for some families, it’s hard to draw a mental image! But that’s conversation for a WHOLE OTHER blog!!) Everyone is welcome! Everyone is fed! The generations are well-represented. But, without a doubt, the conversation revolves around the kids. Just this week in my home, we’ve talked planets (Mercury, in particular!) and dogs and why sweet potatoes are orange. We’ve cleaned spills and wiped faces and given stern admonitions to “finish ALL your food.” Truth be told, I’d rather talk about a lot of other topics. But as nurturers in our home, my husband and I comprehend the simple truth that dinner is all about the kids.

Pizza again?

We even simplify our meal choices! Healthy servings of green beans, salad, meat, and potatoes often find their way into our menu. Honestly, the kids just aren't going to appreciate Thai food like we will!

Ross Parsely suggests that the weekly worship service is to the church what the dinner table is to the family. In these moments, it is OK and in order for the mode of communication to be centered around the preferences of the kids. The older people understand and even delight in the simplistic, joyful expressions of their young. Out of a posture of maturity, they support the growth and learning that is taking place. It doesn’t dismiss the need for “intelligent” conversation, nor does it deny the need for maturing that will surely come to a healthy child. But it gives a platform or entry point where the young are celebrated.

This model really rocked my world. How beautiful to be part of a healthy church where the older embrace the younger, and the younger respect the older for their willingness to put personal preferences aside. It really does sound like… aha… the body of Christ!

I am a big proponent of cross-generational worship. I have never thrown out the hymns. In fact, just this past Wednesday we sang a “He Looked Beyond My Faults and Saw My Needs” in honor of the great Dottie Rambo. (I attended her memorial service on Monday… whew! A whole topic for another post!) It was a moving song selection and ministered in a poignant way.

But I must take accountability, just as the pastor does, for the natural progress of babies from milk to meat. And, if our weekend worship services are defined as our entry point into church culture, then I should present music that is dynamic and meaningful to the young. And those who are mature in spirit will rejoice and understand that, like the dinner table, it really is “all about the kids.”

"New" is "Old"

A few days ago the creator of this fine website threw me a bone and played the part of provocateur (something I needed since my brain is checking out more than usual as it decompresses from the long school year) regarding two related topics in the musical ministry. I thought I would share his questions/prodding and then follow with my somewhat inconclusive thoughts.

Kent: What's a popular praise chorus we often sing during the altar service that kind of epitomizes the times & the more upbeat Ap culture simultaneously? Would it be an Israel song or something else?

When I first read this question, the song “Here I Am To Worship” immediately came to mind as well as “How Great Is Our God.” Both songs fit the altar service well – one places us in a posture of surrender and humility and the other leaves us rejoicing and in awe of God’s limitless nature, thus building our faith.

Kent: I can't help but think Israel has become our national (church) poet, the one we quote, share and excitedly anticipate when he comes out with a new CD. That said I do notice New Life [the church Kent, his family, and I attend]/Gateway thinks we're "contemporary" when we're basically singing his songs from 7 years ago (New Season) & few beyond that.

I suppose for me the irony is we eschew the hymns because they're old, but we're hardly singing new songs, though we pretend we are. We've just moved the songs to OUR [present generation] level of comfort from THEIR [older generation] level of comfort haven't we? Seems like there can be a healthier mix of songs & a greater acknowledgement of our own biases...

With regards to presenting “old” music as “new,” sometimes I think it just takes a while for us to let go of our current “new” music. I wonder if this is linked to what is often a defensive posture we assume when it comes to our doctrine? Also, as the style of music changes, depending on the particular congregation, it can be a slow process to accept new music. I wonder if this contributes to our thinking we’re contemporary when often we are not. I will say, however, that personally I think we do a pretty good job of keeping up. I’m not sure how to make this thought clear, but I wonder if, because we are apostolic, does that limit us in any way with regards to what we do/do not sing? I really do not know how to answer that question at this point. This may be an inflammatory statement, but I’m not so sure I want to be like/sound like much of what I hear in the most current music. I’m sure that’s just partly my own biases/preferences….I probably need to think that one through some more, so don’t quote me yet….!

Kent’s comments here brought to mind a conversation I had with Dr. James Littles, professor at Urshan Graduate School – one of my favorite “thinkers.” Dr. Littles and I were talking about the whole hymn/chorus debacle a few weeks ago and he commented something to the affect that he thinks it's a shame that we indirectly indicate (and often don't even realize it OR mean it) that we devalue the elders because we think we have to sing new, cutting edge things (or as our conversation indicates, we THINK we sing new, cutting edge things) to attract the youth. His point was: are youth the only age group we are trying to attract? I'm trying to witness to my 86 year-old neighbors and I can guarantee, they wouldn't get into some things we sing even at New Life.

As you can guess, this conversation went on a bit – in emails and in my mind! I really don’t mean to sound critical of Ap music – I really think we do a good job. And it heartens me to read/see/hear that we are thinking about what we do and how it specifically impacts the mission of the church….

To be continued…….

Humbled and Amazed

I was just thinking about how amazing it is that God would use music to minister to people. Even a "secular" song. Now I don't believe that David ministered to Saul with "secular" music. But it was just such a song that ministered to me recently. There were no words to the song. There was just something in the chord progression that touched my heart. God used this song to minister to me.

Do I think secular music has a place in our sanctuaries? Absolutely not. Although I wasn't really intending to "go there" with this post so I am going to leave that one alone for the time being.

Back to me.

I find it odd that God would have used this particular song to minister to me. I can't say there was anything super spiritual that happened. I didn't break out speaking in tongues or start rejoicing or dancing in the spirit. God simply used the song to break me out of my "I'm not going to let this ________ affect me." I worship you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord.

I have often struggled with the question of "secular" music and its role in the Christian life. On the one hand there are many tunes with inspiring, well-crafted lyrics. On the other hand there are songs with lyrics that run contrary to biblical principles. One should never let a well-crafted turn of phrase or pleasant rhythmic or melodic happenings distort one's perception of ungodliness in a song. I was listening to Sting's "We'll Be Together" with new ears one day last fall. The first five lines of the song proceed without anything that stands out as offensive. But the sixth and seventh lines, start to emphasize the object of the narrator's affection as much greater than what should be our greatest affection. The eighth line, moving to the title, seems fine at the outset, "We'll be together" sounds all right, but then the repeat of the phrase tagging the word "tonight" at the end gives the song its thoroughly illicit feel. I tried to take a step back and 'spiritualize' the song by imagining Jesus as the object, as opposed to a member of the opposite sex. I couldn't really do it sincerely. The song doesn't really have that tone. Nor does it even seem acceptable to apply the song to a marital relationship -- the song does not have that feel, either.

Instrumental music can run amok as well. Take the music of John Coltrane, for example. I would not argue that all of it is bad, but some of his tunes leave me spiritually cold. Worship of the creation and not the Creator is the general sense I get from some of his music. I certainly like jazz. But I much prefer Charlie Parker to Coltrane.

I'm a little rushed this morning, so this post may be a bit uneven around the edges. Thanks for your understanding. I guess I'm still on the whole "secular vs. sacred" thread. I hope this post adds to the discussion. I feel a little like I'm just babbling.