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My intention for this forum is to develope some topics about those current writing and singing the worship music churches are using these days. I'll put up some looks at those I think are important and are writing sound, scripturally based songs, and also explore those who maybe popular but are missing the mark in some way.



Members are welcome to start topics about artists they are excited about or wondering about and we can help each other discern what the Spirit is saying to us as we choose worship music for our ministries. I hope that this forum will not just be a blog of my own ideas, but a fruitful exchange. If you have an opinion about an artist that is different from mine, don't be hesitant to express it. In the airing of the discussion, readers will be able to see a broader look at the subject matter, and all will be enriched.



We can talk about CD's, artist's activities and testimonies, particular songs, projects or books...anything related to the contemporary worship scene. It's up to you what direction this forum ultimately takes. It could be a reference, or it could be a place where we wrestle out knotty issues. So let's see what developes!

One of my all-time favorite books is former shepherd Philip Keller’s A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. It was early in my Christian walk, in my first very spiritually aware state. It was a huge revelation and the first time I really “got” the concept that the Bible was very relevant to my life today, hundreds or thousands of years after it was written.



Keller talked a lot about the sheepies and how people were embarrassingly like them. He spent a lot of pages proving that pretty conclusively. He also talked about interaction of the sheep and included some of the reasons that shepherds did what they did and some little bits about the responsibilities of those shepherds. Those little bits and other info that I’ve gleaned from several sources over the years have expanded (at least in my mind) Keller’s discussion of the shepherd’s role in the lives of the sheep.



There are so many folks who have a strong sense that they want/need to be pastored, but I have a strong sense that many folks really could not define or enunciate what that means! Yes, there will be some who can share certain hopes or aspects of the relationship, but some I’ve talked with just have the gnawing sense that the pastoring or shepherding is incomplete.



We know that Messiah is “the” good shepherd, and that Father God desires that His sheep have good human shepherds, too. What do they look like? What do they do? What does that mean to at least one particular group of people, those involved in the worship arts? Do the worship arts folks need to be shepherded in ways other than what the other sheep need? I think so! Why? The worship arts folks are part of the “up-front” team and because of that, we’re held to a higher standard. That’s part of modeling the Christian life-style. If you’re facing the people, you’re leading and if you’re leading, people will have higher expectations.



We have a friend who was a worship arts pastor. He shared recently about the intensity of watching the worship arts flock. Folks with any level of artistic personality might need to be tended differently than non-artistic folks. “Sensitive”, “over-sensitive”, and “needy” are a few of the words that people have used as weapons against the artistics. To some degree, it’s true that we’re sensitive. That’s part of what makes us artistic! Don’t accept the delivery on that. “Needy”? Aren’t we all?! Like all sheep, we need to have certain things in order to be our most productive. Nursing ewes are needy. If they don’t have enough of the nutrients they need, the milk they provide the lambs will not be sufficient in quality or quantity.



What’s a shepherd to do? In a true ovine situation, the shepherd ensures that the surroundings are conducive to individual growth and safety. Good and safe food, calm and fresh water, plenty of room to romp or rest, shaded areas to retreat from heat, freedom from hidden places from which the sheep might be ambushed or attacked. What do sheep do? They eat, they fertilize the ground around themselves, they produce wool, they produce baby sheep, they interact within the flock, they lead, they follow, and only have a little interaction with the shepherd. Most of the interaction is initiated by the shepherd as he works at keeping his sheep healthy and able to do what they do. Visual inspection doesn’t tell the story. Regular contact—maybe even daily contact—is part of the job description. Once the wool is more than say a quarter of an inch, the skin is not visible. The shepherd’s fingers run through the wool and give each sheep a little affectionate massage while searching for healthy, unblemished skin and the quality of the wool being grown. If the shepherd finds fevered skin, wounds, scabs, or bumps, the sheep needs treatment. If the shepherd feels the ribs showing too strongly, the sheep is not getting correct nutrition or may have worms. If the wool is not greasy enough with lanolin or if the wool is thin and weak, there might still be a dietary issue. The shepherd looks in the ears to make sure that there are no ticks or mites that would make the sheep uneasy. Are the eyes clear and without excessive secretions? All these things and others tell the shepherd about the health of each sheep. It is his task to ensure that those who are to bear wool are doing their job, that those who are feeding the lambs are producing milk, and that those that will be bred soon are healthy and ready for bearing young.



Think about the greater worship team as its own little flock for a minute. We do need to be about producing the things we were designed to produce. If God gifted one person as a song writer, their “wool” is music. If another is a dancer and choreographer, their wool is solo or group dance pieces. The banner team’s wool is banners and pageantry. The drama team, the mime team, the clown team, the fine artists, all of them have wool being produced. If our wool suddenly changes quality or is not coming forth as expected, we need someone who’s looking out for us to find out why. If we have a relationship with a pastor who understands the worship arts, that pastor is going to be running fingers through the wool and looking at the eyes to seek out the issues and help us work through them. That pastor will be watching to ensure that the flock is about the intended business and not leading others to escape from the pasture and lead innocent lambs astray in the process. Pastor will be watching out for and dealing with bullies and rebels in all the inner-flock relationships. Part of the job is management, part of it is expressing care, part of it is making a place for the sheepies to successfully do the things that sheepies do!



This is an oversimplified version of what my friend shared over several days, but I hope enough to give you some ideas on how you as a pastor might be working with your worship arts folks and how you as worship arts folks might expect your pastoral relationships to work.

What a weekend!! Helena & I were invited for a time of R&R with friends in Northern Virginia, not far from Washington, DC and who attend church in the Baltimore area. As we planned for that time, the one span of time that I had available to me because of constraints at my "day job" happened to coincide with a worship retreat in Maryland where our host was involved. We were asked to consider coming along and to see if maybe we could share a little at that retreat and at a nearby church on Sunday of the same weekend. Cool. We're almost always up for times of sharing with the people of God. That's why Father invested what He has in us.



We had a really nice trip. No glitches with travel, early arrivals both ways, even. Nice weather while we were there. While we were there primarily as a get-away, we are always thrilled to enter into discussions of the deep things of the Lord. Those kinds of encounters are not just iron sharpening iron sessions, but they are things that breathe life into us. Absolutely the best kind of restoration and rest for both of us. Very, very refreshing. Long conversations on all sorts of Kingdom topics, applications that none of us had probed in that sort of depth or maybe had never considered. What a joy.



The ministry times were also gifts to us. Saturday, we were in a church setting, and one where the movement ministry was primarily invested in and expressed by a team of six power-packed little ladies. We were able to spend almost an hour with five of them and encourage them and hopefully give them a glimpse of another level of ministry for them. We also were able to minister to a lovely woman who may be able to serve those young ladies as an adult leader and teacher. I also had the opportunity to spend some time with the musicians and share our heart about the issues of the "greater worship team" concept and how we've grown to see interaction between music, movement, and other worship arts teams, and the pastor. It seemed to be well-received.



Sunday morning was not only a joy, but another one of those God events. Going into a service, being asked to bring something, praying and preparing in anticipation of what the Holy Spirit would weave together from the things planned there and the things brought by us with very little interaction. As happens so often, the readings, banners, dance pieces, sermon, and exhortations were orchestrated as only He can do. Very few tweaks were required to make the service flow with grace. Such amazing grace. Helena will share more about that.



It was a delight!

I have been at war today. For some reason over the last three weeks my house has been inundated with flies. Not 3 or 4 but 30 - 50 +. OK where did they come from and what are you trying to teach me. First message is keepiung kitchen clean. It was clean ok so what else? I spent all of today killing the pesky things, spraying the kitchen window with pam, opening windo wn literally scooping them out and the coup de gras. Sweepuing up maggots that were risinf from the carpet. ARRRRgh. If anyone has a spiritual observation to this mess, let me know. I still have at least 50 or 60 hanging arouind. They do not react to the old time fly strip or any of the old ways. So what will it take to get rid of them. Are you hearing the spiritual call in all this? I do but I am so involved in getting rid of them to see the spiritual teaching God is trying to give me....HELP!!!!

We had such a great service today, with several inferences to God’s gift of America to us, and what our forefathers provided for us. The songs, readings, and sermon were all peppered with references to freedom. Freedom is unfortunately one of my hot buttons. I don’t have anything against freedom, but when it’s not the right word or when it’s not used in a good context. Sometimes those sorts of things get me going. Like a pastor who didn’t know the difference between roughshod and slipshod. He kept telling his congregation that the Devil was being allowed to run slipshod over them. Makes me shake my head to this day.



The English language is not always as precise as, say, computer languages or Greek or Hebrew, and with some words, they have even become accepted as interchangeable with other words, even though they are not really the same. Ask almost any woman to describe the sky and you’ll get words like azure, cyan, baby blue, light blue, cerulean, or powder blue. Ask a man and you’ll likely get “blue”. I’m not always interested in the technical, precise shade determination. It’s not orange or green, blue is enough for me. But I think that God cares about precision most of the time.



Today I was struck at how often I heard the word “freedom”. There was one verse that looped through my mind, from Luke where Jesus was in the synagogue at Nazareth and he told them about his ministry, “To proclaim liberty to the captives”. Another translation says deliverance. A few paraphrase style translations assign the word freedom instead of liberty. Is this a big deal? It might be!



Jesus has done a lot of things for us through His sacrificial death on the cross. He saved us. He redeemed us and reconciled us to the Father. He proclaimed liberty to us when we were captive to sin. Did He really “free” us? Are we “free”? Am I free??



Not really. I am freed from the captivity of sin, but I’m not “free”. I was chosen, I was redeemed. Freedom means that I can do whatever I want to do and not do whatever I don’t. Freedom from rules, freedom from responsibility. That’s what freedom means. Anarchy is true freedom. No rules, no boundaries. I don’t want to go there! I want to be near the One Who freed me from sin. I want to serve Him. The One who redeems, redeems for cause, generally not to pat the redeemed on the head and say goodbye, or as Mork would say to the egg, “Fly and be free!”. The Redeemer purchases the life of the one who was enslaved to sin because of love. We have freedom of choice and we can choose to serve the One Who saved and redeemed, or we can walk away. Walking away from the Redeemer means exercising one’s freedom. Do I really want to do that? No. Paul described himself as a bond servant of the Lord. Doulos is the Greek and it’s an interesting term. It was usually used to describe an indentured slave/servant whose debt was paid in full and was free to leave, but who chose to remain in service to that master. Paul was a slave of sin and of a bad case of Pharisee-ism. He knew it. Now he was freed from those bonds, and at liberty to pursue a relationship with Messiah. There is freedom of a sort within the liberty, a freedom to do anything within the guidelines and rules laid out by my Savior.



Patrick Henry did not say, “Give me freedom or give me death,” and it wasn’t because of the prose police. Pat knew a thing or two about rules and laws. He knew that we needed rules to serve as fences and guidelines—not to restrict, but to guide and instruct. If I place no expectations on myself, I will never disappoint myself, and I will never meet those expectations. Because I have committed myself to Christ, I want to abide by His rules because I know them to be the very best possible way of life for me. Those rules are not a burden, they are a very low fence. Maybe even just a line on the ground. It’s pretty clear where the boundaries are. I want to keep the boundaries. I want His smile of approval and love. I don’t want to sin any more, or to be controlled by sin.



The Apostles Creed says that Jesus descended into hell, to those dead in their sins. Jesus proclaimed liberty to the captives and we’re told that Jesus led them out of hell and into Paradise (Ephesians 4:8, Paul citing the fulfillment of Psalm 68:18, “You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives”). Were they forced to go with Him? Did they still have a choice? I believe they did. They could believe and follow Him out or not believe and stay. Lip service would not work. Jesus wasn’t going to take yes-men with Him! Real belief meant real redemption.



George Barna was on a talk show on the 4th, talking a little about his new book, but mostly he was there to answer one question for the host, “What is religion or faith going to look like in ten years?” His answer was very revealing. Barna makes his living asking people questions and analyzing the answers. He sees bad things if we continue on our current path. He talked about the eclectic religious practices of Americans in general. They pick and choose what they will or won’t believe. A little Christian truth, a little Buddhist truth, some Jewish, some Islamic thought, a little yoga, maybe some astrology, and a bit of pantheistic practice to round things out. A long time ago, I actually heard a Presbyterian pastor say, “Well, there are a lot of ways to God, you know.” Last month someone in the Christian community quipped, “Allah is just their name for the same God, right?” This is what freedom brings. There are and have to be absolutes, things on which we cannot compromise, things without any gray. Good and evil are black and white issues. A small tinge of evil and is Good still good? Yes, we have “free” choice and a “free” will, but we also have heard that with “freedom” comes responsibility. If freedom is exercised correctly, it is tempered with responsibility. That’s no longer freedom. It’s liberty! Barna addressed (Dean’s paraphrase here) the need for Christians to quit shopping at the religion buffet. He compared it to the loss of “brand loyalty” that used to be passed down from one generation to the next. Dad owned a Buick, son often bought a Buick. Mom believed and lived XYZ, daughter believed and lived XYZ. Nah, maybe we’ll try a Kia. And Mom’s old time religion just isn’t hip enough. And when the kids don’t buy Mom and Dad’s “brands”, well, they’re “just being independent.” Independence is another name for freedom, not liberty. Freedom and independence go well together, but not in a Christian context, frankly. Liberty and individual go together nicely. While at liberty, we can stand alone because we stand together. Heard that before?



We’ve also heard recently that while we can be diverse in some practices, we need to be united and clear on the basics. The hard part is to decide what goes in the basics column and not turn into a cult or an extremist, conservative, uber-radical. Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man. Jesus, virgin-born, crucified as a sinless sacrifice, dead, buried, resurrected, ascended, and coming again. That’s the core and the rock solid foundation. What else is basic? For us as liturgical types, we have creeds and canons to which to say, “Amen.” If we read what we’re supposed to believe in the Creeds and can’t really believe the statements, what DO we believe and why are we still in a place with beliefs to which we can’t adhere? Again, as we’ve heard before, are we in the boat or not? It’s not a social club!



I’ve been part of congregations that actually were more social club than belief based. You could believe nearly anything and not be held accountable. Freedom says things like, “Religion is a personal matter and frankly none of your business.” Think that man was “in the boat”? He was third generation in the congregation and a regular attender. He had no idea who Jesus was or what He did for him through the cross, and worse, he didn’t care. Church was vital to his grandparents, life-giving. Church was important to his parents, a weighty component of their community life. Church was what he did on Sundays because it was expected so his mother wouldn’t nag him. His kids did not attend at all. “Well, everyone has to make up their own minds about religion and morals and stuff like that.” NOT in the boat!



I’m at liberty because I am in Christ. I have certain freedoms within the canons and creeds. If, through baptism, confession of faith, confirmation, I say that I’m part of the family, and if this family takes me in after telling me the tenets of faith and life here, we’re now family together and moving forward in one faith and belief system. If I begin to stray in my walk forward, looking at the religious buffet and the “good” things that might tempt me away from the “best” things, my family is here to remind me of the right thinking that needs to prevail. Religion is not a private issue. I do have a responsibility to my brothers and sisters, both for my own religious practice and for theirs. That’s why we do this together. That’s why I don’t get to keep my own private rulebook. One body, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all… There are areas where diversity is good. Jobs, ministries, hobbies, hair color, maybe some political views, cars, shampoo, the Rapture, and lots of other stuff large and small. God’s interested in the details, though, so don’t count Him out in any of those areas either. When it comes to the foundations of the expressions of faith, not so much. Is the Bible the inspired word of God or not? Is Jesus Who He says He is or not? Did He tell me how He expected me to live or not? Will I obey…or not? Is He God? Is He my God? Will I allow Him to be Lord in my life and of my life? What does that look like?

We had a nice service today, a combination of celebration of what God has given us as Americans and what He has given us as believers. There were several “aha” moments for me in the service. You know the sorts of things where you read something that you’ve not seen in a song or hymn or in the Word of God that you somehow missed? It was that kind of nifty morning.



The Old Testament reading was Ezekiel 2, where God issues His call to an apparently young Ezekiel. I think it’s a wonderful reminder to all who minister in any capacity in the Father’s vineyard. Nothing of it was new, but it was ever-fresh as always. God told Ezekiel what He was sending him to do, and He told him what to expect—a rebellious and obstinate people who weren’t going to heed the words of prophecy. So, God is telling Zeke that he’s got a job to do, but to be really clear about what that job is. Zeke is to preach truth, whatever it is that God tells him to say, nothing more, nothing less. His job is to speak forth God’s heart. Notice that I did not say communicate. God was not putting the whole thing on Zeke’s head. He just had to deliver the message. It was not his responsibility that they “get it”. Verse 7 is key, God instructing: “…you shall speak My words to them whether they listen or not…”



There are so many pastors and worship ministers who know that they are called to pastor and teach or to lead others in worship and praise. They know in their knowers what God wants them to do, but so many of them get frustrated, hurt, or angry at the lack of response, the lack of listening in Ezekiel’s instruction. Archbishop Bates spoke eloquently to that in a service a month or so ago. Go back to when you were absolutely sure that you knew what exactly it was that God told you to do, and then do that!



Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? But what does that look like? I think that most of us who’ve been in any sort of ministry for any length of years can attest to building up expectations and visions about how things ought to be or how they could be or how we’d like them to be. If we as pastors and ministers can return and read the fine print of that call, we’ll probably see a similar clause in our call as well, “whether they listen or not”. There’s an old adage about leading a horse to water but not being able to force that horse to drink. We can lead people to the wells of living water, but we can’t do any more than invite them and provide a cup. We can offer them the Bread of Life, but we can’t chew for them. We can provide the framework for their worship and praise, but they have to provide lips and breath and limbs that move. If we can do these things “whether they listen or not”, we’ll be much happier workers in the vineyard, yes? We’re the messengers and He’s still God, the One Who woos and beckons and Who welcomes them once they respond and Who applauds with joy when they finally lift their hearts and voices to Him.



Remembering the details of the call and being faithful to that call—isn’t that what obedience and being a faithful witness is about?



There was a second “aha” moment, too. Our last song today was the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”. Toward the end of the second verse are two great lines, “Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on.” I’ve sung this song since high school, 45 years (yes, that’s scary!), and I don’t think I’ve ever had the jubilant feet line speak to me at all. Why today?



Our pastor/bishop is a strong supporter of worship and of things concerning pageantry and movement. The past few Sundays, he’s been tryin’ out his moves on us. The “moves” mostly consist of a complete 360-degree spin on the ball of his foot, smiling all the while. It makes the folks smile and laugh, but it also sends a strong message that it’s good to move and celebrate our God and maybe get outside of our comfort zones. Today after the last song, I felt impressed to draw attention to those couple of lines. Bishop preached on the issue of being a true and faithful witness. Having a soul that is swift to answer is a pretty good definition of a faithful witness, and add to that feet that are by nature jubilant, is a great evangelistic tool. If my feet are jubilant, my heart will know it and if my heart knows it, my face will glow with the same jubilation. That joy will affect and infect others.



Once that joy infects them, I will have opportunities to share the Why and the Who of the joy.