JADDOG

I was in the pool today at lunch and completed a 1000 yard work out. It was a great time of reflection that I’d like to write about.

I’m discussing the book I’m reading, Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), with a friend of mine. He sent me and email with his thoughts on the first few chapters a few days back and I had a chance last night to sit down and digest it. I enjoyed rereading this excerpt from chapter 2 which he brought attention to:

How do I know what I love the most? By looking at my life outside of Sunday morning. What do you enjoy the most? What do I spend the most time doing? Where does my mind drift to when I don’t have anything to do? What am I passionate about? What so I spend my money on? What makes me angry when I don’t get it? What do I feel depressed without? What do I fear losing the most.

Our answers to those questions will lead us straight to the God or to the gods we love and worship.

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This makes me think of two area’s of my life I’ve been pursing in the past few months. One, I’ve been irregularly meeting with a groomsman of mine where we’ve been challenging one another to pursue growing in Christ. We’re holding one another accountable to the goals we’ve set for ourselves. I’ve set goals to read the bible and Christian books at least every other day and to serve my wife selflessly. Two, I’ve committed to a 100km bike race in February and planning to sign up for a sprint triathlon in April. Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Between Paul and Kauflin I’m encouraged by conviction. I’m encouraged that I can see my goals in both biblical training and athletic training. I’m convicted that I often day dream about the athletics more than the sacrifice our Saviour made. I’ll end with another quote from Kauflin that I love. He asserts this in the context of leading a body of believers in song to worship our King.

If our doctrine is accurate but our hearts are cold towards God himself, our corporate worship will be true but lifeless. Or if we express our fervent love for God but present vague, inaccurate, or incomplete ideas of Him to those we’re leading, our worship will be emotional but misleading — and possibly idolatrous. Neither option brings glory to God.

My Prayer for myself and every worship leader is that we’ll become as familiar with the Word of Truth as we are with our instruments. Hopefully even more so. If we do, there’s a strong possibility people are going to walk away from our meetings more amazed by our God than by our music.

And that will be a very good thing.

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I think Kauflin has it right here. Further I believe you can replace the role of a music leader with any role, formal leadership or not. We have to be pursuing God’s truth and refining our understanding of His word and we have to be living His truth in our daily lives. If I replace the leadership role he’s discussing with my triathlon training I have two outcomes of every day. I can consume myself with athletic training and try and find time to pursue God. Or I can consume myself with pursuing God and ask for my athletic training to bring Him glory.

I pray the later would be my mindset.

I’ve been reading Bob Kauflin’s book Worship Matters and have just finished chapter six. I have been recommended to read the book by many and I agree with their recommendation. The book is a great blessing thus far and I have high expectations to continue to be challenged and grown by Kauflin wisdom and experience. This post in by no means an attack or a rant against my one disagreement with Bob Kauflin, so far. It’s just a journal entry as I wrestle through the place God has me in my transformation by the renewing of my mind.

In chapter six Kauflin address the often seemingly equivalence with using the word “worship” when we mean corporate worship through music. He addresses it in the specific context of the “worship leader” by quoting D.A. Carson:

I would abolish forever the notion of a “worship leader.” If you want to have a “song leader” who leads part of the worship, just as the preacher leads part of the worship, that’s fine. But to call the person a “worship leader” takes away the idea that by preaching, teaching, listening to and devouring the word of God, and applying it to our lives, we are somehow not worshipping God. **

Kauflin goes on to commend Carson on his point and expand on the quote stating:

If the individual leading the singing is the “worship” leader, it can imply we aren’t worshipping God during the rest of the meeting. But activities such as praying for others, giving financially, and studying God’s Word together are also acts of worship that bring glory to God. **

He continues by portraying what I interpret as an awkwardness we experience from trying to break away from the cultural tie to calling our music leader “worship leader.” He then states:

And while I agree with Carson’s perspective, I don’t think we have to lose the term worship leader. **

I disagree. I’m going to take a step back and present my thoughts from a more general perspective. I routinely find Christians referring to music during a corporate or small group setting as worship. “Will we have worship tonight at small group?” “Let’s do the announcements after the worship.”

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

These are my favourite two versus in scripture and I think that they will ground my opinion well. I have no idea why we started to call tie our music time to “worship”. I have my theories, but I won’t waste your time. In the beginning of chapter six Kauflin suggests that those born after 1980 are too young to remember how it happened. Fair enough, I was born after ’80. But I don’t care where it came from, I ‘d like to question why we should keep it. I believe that Romans 12 is the best description of worship I’ve experienced. To sacrifice our bodies holy and pleasing requires that we are in obedience to Christ seeking sanctification as our bodies are in service to His Glory. That is our spiritual worship. Further our worship is meant to test and discern the will of God. Kauflin has already made the case for me that there are other things that we do to worship God during our corporate worship other than sing and play music. If we line up the use of the word worship to refer to the time we play music next to the list of other ways to worship God Kauflin presents next to Romans’ definition of worship I think you’ll find that “one of these things is not like the other things.” There’s a quote for those of you born after 1980 you should remember from Sesame Street. So lets do some discerning here and realize that the use of the word worship as Kauflin suggests we can continue takes the word worship out of its proper context. I challenge you to consider how it could very easily mislead both believers and non-believers who are not familiar with the surfacey equivalence that our verbage superimposes around our corporate worship through music and true worship.

Honestly I have wrestled with this since I began attending the church we’re about to join since our move last July ’08. Now that we’ve stepped out of a fellowship that shares the same practices as I believe I often am discouraged by its seemingly equivalence. I’m curious how nievely it’s used like that. I believe the church is solid and this is not an issue to raise  up in arms about. Again I use such strong words to get thoughts and feelings out, not to discount anyone.

I’ll conclude with my proposed solution. Otherwise I feel like I would just be complaining. I agree with Kauflin that when we meet together in obedience to Hebrews 10 it’s sometimes awkward to reference our time of music as something other than worship. I challenge you to call the music exactly what it is. If you’re singing a cappella then maybe call it singing. If you’re using instruments maybe call it music. If you want to refer to the music as worship call it worshipping through music. How often do we say something like “lets continue our worship as we study God’s word.” Well, “lets continue our worship as we worship though music.” Maybe you start your service with music. “Lets begin today by worshipping God through song.”

I’ve been blessed to wrestle through putting my feelings into this post. I worship God for the intelligence we’re given to encourage one another by discerning what is good and acceptable and perfect.

On a side note. I’m reading this book at the same time as my previous pastor and plan to study it with the music pastor at the church I’m about to join. I image you may here more on this topic as I discuss it with them.

**Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2008), 53-54.

I had another chance today to enjoy a reflection on the Chistmas songs we carolled at our Christmas Party last week. It seems the simples truths are often the blessings that touch us most.

As part of Christmas I’ve had the opportunity to read Luke chapter 2 with my family a couple times and was blessed by its correlation to the song Angels we have heard on high.

Angels we have heard on high is about angels and shepards giving “Glory to God in the highest” that Christ the savior is born.

In Luke 2 the angels appeared to the shepards and gave them the good news about Chirst’s birth. They’re surrounded by heavenly hosts and sing “Glory to God in the highest.” Once the shepards have followed the angel’s instructions and found Christ in the manger they give glory to God and sing his praises.

On a kinda comical note I am spending my Christmas watching Home Alone in my recently “made into a family room” basement which we moved our TV into but have no furniture in. So we’re all in sleeping bags on the floor.

Meanwhile my wife, brother-in-law (the two of them choose the movie) and sister-in-law are out cold sleeping through the movie.

I choose to journal my reflections on giving “Glory to God in the highest” instead of paying attention to the movie.

Merry Christmas.

I picked out a couple songs for our home group to sing when we went Christmas Caroling at our Christmas party the other night. Songs were O come O come Emmanuel, Angels we have heard on high, Joy to the world and Silent Night. When I play music for our home group I usually like to share my reflections on the songs before we sing them. I was very encouraged by the song set and wanted to journal about my reflections.

O come, O come Emmanual is a song about Israel desiring that a Saviour would come and set them free from their bondage
Angels we have heard on high is a song about Angels and Shepards giving praise to God that the Savior has been born
Joy to the World is a song expressing the joy in receiving our Savior’s reign over the curse
Silent Night is a song about baby Jesus in the manger at his birth

Simple enough right? We’ve sung these song over and over, though, I really enjoyed taking some time to not just sing them again this year but really consider what’s being sung. Our Savior has come to set us free from death’s reign. Let’s celebrate the season giving praise to our God that he has sacrificed himself that we might live eternally giving him praise and honor.

Merry Christmas!

This morning Romans 7 was taught. Something clicked that has never clicked before. I have always known the truth that Christ died in our place to pay the price for our sins. Romans 7 takes it a step deeper by defining our unsaved state as a marriage to sin that is unbound only by death. In the previous chapter Paul give us two options for who our master is. We are a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness. Our master is satan or our master is God. We obey sin or we obey righteousness.  There are only two options. To put this in romans 7 terminology, we are married to sin or we are married to righteousness. The covenant that binds us on earth when we vow to another in marriage is “until death do us part”. The man or the woman has to die for the covenant to be lifted and allow the other to marry again. In this same way our marriage to sin could only be lifted by death. Romans 6 teaches us that being baptized into Christ we are baptized into his death. Christ’s death is the only death that can free us from our marriage to sin. Being united in His death we are also united with Him in his resurrection. We are born again and our birth is a new life of service to the one that lifted our marriage to sin. Now we are married to righteousness. Now we are a slave to righteousness. To be baptized into Christ’s death that sets you free from sin you must trust Christ as your saviour. To trust Christ as you saviour is to follow a new heart that God gives you. A heart that desires to glorify Him and not this world.

This evening I attended our church’s home group. A perspective was shared on the results of last night’s election that I had neglected to to see. A perspective that comforted me. God has sovereignly planned to have Barack Obama as president elect. There is purpose in electing a man who’s views in many ways oppose Christian moral. In Matthew 6 we are taught not to worry about basic necessities for living. 6:34 teaches us not to worry about tomorrow. Tonight I was reminded that God is in control and there is no reason that we should worry that Obama is out president elect. Instead I propose that we should seek how God is bringing himself glory in a situation that we disagree with. I propose that we find the places God has place before us to be obedient to His calling and present him with the praise he has called us to offer.

I keep hearing this commecial on the radio that says something to the effect of “instead of making lemonade squeeze your lemon into a Bojangle Iced Tea”

Well the past week has been full of lemons. I have a list of things I would love to rant about related to our move. Lets just say a few inconveniences have surfaced. I’ll refrain further and instead quote a verse that I was convicted by.

I hung a decoration on the wall yesterday that quotes Psalm 106:1. Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. What a comfort.  We have encountered emotions high and low this week. We have experienced excitement and arguments. We have experience exhaustion this week attempting to get settled in our new house. Through all the “things to do around the house” we have forgotten our first love. Hanging that decoration was a great reminder that our Lord’s love is unconditional and he has not forsaken me. Even when I don’t make time for Him.

Tomorrow we’ll start an investment into a new church body. I wonder what God has in store to teach us in the upcoming experiences. I pray for a new devotion to His service that we have never experienced.

Last week I was able to attend CFUnited in Washington, DC. I keep meaning to blog about the event but it never seemed to happen. I was pretty unhappy about not blogging. This evening I had a chance to reflect on the event in a way I didn’t expect. Last week’s purpose was to remind me of the unconditional love and care I have for my wife and son. I have to admit my initial reaction to arriving in DC was to enjoy a change of pace away from them for a few days. Though by the end of the trip I realized how much I missed them. I had a chance this evening to let my wife know how much I appreciated those times I get to go on a trip with the boys and that those times put my love for her in perspective. This evening I was reminded that a short change of pace for a day or two gives me perspective on how much I enjoy being married to my wife and how much I enjoy being a dad. My prayer is that my leadership in my family would reflect Christ’s Humility as Philippians 2 teaches. God continues to change me. I’m thankful that my wife reminds me that I need that change constantly. I’m thankful that the changes God is making will make me a leader that spurs my family on to serve Christ.

This blogs purpose initially was to get me to journal and reflect on the things I’m learning about Christ. I’d like to add another purpose that I did not expect but am thankful for… a reminder, in a conviction sense. My wife and son and I are relocating closer to my job I started in January and the time I’ve spent studying Christ in the past 2 weeks has been reduced to Sunday morning and once or twice in the car on the way to work. I have let our relocation overwhelm me to the point that I have not made time to rest in God’s grace. So I’ve put together some drafts on the couple things I have been desiring to reflecting on and hope that this the the first of more consistent posts. My Hope is that the consistency in posting reflects the consistency I’ve been renewing my mind (Romans 12:2)

Our church has been studying Romans for… well, a while. This past week we were in the beginning of chapter 5. I’ve been reflecting on verses 1-5 and have realized that this section of Romans gives a little clarity to someone wrestling with how they fit into the Hebrews 6:4-8 post from May 16, 2008.

On a side note: I’ve just realized how long of a week it’s been! my last post was the 16th!

Back to the topic at hand… we studied that Romans 5 is calling us to a Christ-like response to suffering. A response that rejoices in suffering. A rejoicing defined by the perseverance and character that leads to hoping in the Glory of God. So if you experience suffering and your response includes perseverance in Christ and development of Christ like character then it seems you have reason to rejoice in the Hope of His Glory. This progression shows growth in Christ. I think we could restate growth as moving forward in your walk with Christ.

If Hebrews 6 is warning us about falling away and Romans 5 is showing us how to move forward, specifically related to suffering, then I see guidance. I see a stark contrast in the two choices I have when I’m suffering. I can choose to ignore Hope and reflect a vain heart or persevere honoring the character God gives us as we Hope in His Glory.