My friend Andy just posted about the schism that’s been happening as a result of differing musical tastes in people. Suddenly we have Hip Hop church which is different from Rock Church who think Country Church is abysmal because they just wish they were Bluegrass Church. I’d like to add a bit to what he had to say:

• Is Blended Worship a real option or a sad compromise from traditional to contemporary.
  Yes and no. Redone hymns can be *incredible.* But sometimes “Blended” is like going to Steak-n-Shake and finding they “shook” them together. Bleh.
• Should Music Style Be a Church Growth Strategy? (Or at least part of strategy discussion)
  Music can definitely get people in the building. But isn’t it secondary at best? Relationships grow churches, not flashing lights. But since people are now professional consumers of music, virtually everyone can tell when the music “isn’t right” and needs improvement. Excellence is important, but authenticity is better.

Good corporate worship should:

1. Communicate Jesus
2. Be theologically sound
3. Maintain some standard of aesthetic excellence.

I’m concerned that we miss the first two in pursuit of the third.

There are two kinds of people in art: Creators and Producers.

These roles stem from God, all the way back to creation. He starts out doing all the work himself, the epitome of “creator.” But then, a switch happens, and God sends us to “be fruitful and multiply, to fill the earth and subdue it.”

Creator God is also Producer God.

For a while I was convinced I’d be responsible for doing work, creating so to speak. So I spent a lot of time learning about better design, and felt competitive when someone else was more talented (which was kind of a lot). But it’s possible that God’s role for my life extends more to enabling others to create awe rather than doing it myself. How about you? Creator or Producer?

Just found this interesting website: Jesus 2020.

It’s basically what would’ve happened to you if a Baptist walked up to you in the 70’s-90’s and wanted to save your soul. What’s the inherent problem?

He didn’t introduce himself.

Of course that’s the smaller issue in a bigger problem: I don’t know him, and so how can I trust him?

P.S. I don’t hate it, I just don’t think it’s effective…

BTW: for the rest of the semester, this blog is focused on my thoughts about life and God…come Christmas we’ll get focused…

Other note: Suffering is very hard, and I want to point out systemic issues, not act like suffering shouldn’t exist.

At church yesterday, the pastor says: “everyone bow your heads, and close your eyes” which as a preachers kid, I quickly learned meant “squint your eyes enough that he *thinks* they’re closed, but they’re still open enough to see all the people who raise their hand.” Don’t hate.

He then says: “everyone who is suffering, raise your hand so I can pray for you as we begin.” and without any qualifications to what that means, half the room shoots up their hand. HALF? there were about 200 people in the room, so that’s 100 suffering people, and 100 not-quite-suffering people.

Right now, I have no solutions. But if in the family of God, half of them are suffering, is that broken?

Or how about this: I *thought* there were about 1/4 suffering people, before the poll. Is that broken?

Love ya.

So I suck at posting regularly (or ever). Semester is killin me, good reasons, whatever. Come November, it’ll be back, yea.

I’m at Catalyst right now, and have been thinking over the course of this packed day…

1. Why do churches suck at connecting with other churches?
2. What needs to happen to help needs get met with resources?
3. What is the best “model” to see that happen?
4. Does it matter enough to fight through the differences?

I’m going to start researching these questions, and I’d like your feedback.

Have you noticed that in the world of the internet, everyone is an expert. In fact, there are so many self-proclaimed “experts” that it’s hard to find anyone with much real experience. This leads to the difference between experience and observation. I’ve discovered that I am not an expert in much. My areas of expertise extend to 1. Myself and 2. Chick-Fil-A Drive Thru. In everything else, I am foremost an observer.
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With John Saddington’s recent “Twitter Meltdown” It’s good to stop and think about how effective Twitter can be as a ministry tool. In a small church, say <100 people, Twitter is pretty manageable. But what about the thousands upon thousands of marketers, spammers, and grade-A Hoochie Mamas that want a slice of my attention.
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Hat tip to BeaconHillNW on this one. Those of you in ministry, especially leadership…keep it up, keep building airplanes…in the air.

I’m a big fan of relational evangelism. Coming out of a generation that knocked on doors armed with forced tracts and scary questions, younger people are occasionally peppered with horror stories from their friend’s parents. So in reaction to that older model, I want my ‘evangelism’ to just be a natural extension of the relationship. (more…)