Mezzamorphis

A few weeks back my parents (who are wonderful) bought me a collection of works by John Wesley. These are not tiny books. Each of them is about 800-1000 pages, and there are eight books. It would take me a while to read them all, unless I go Harry Potter on them and read them to completion in one sitting, which won’t happen.

That this part of divine worship may be more acceptable to God, as well as more profitable to yourself and others, be careful to observe the following directions

Wesley then goes on to lay out six themes for worship. Those six themes will each have a post of their own in this series. I want to explore what Wesley says, but then apply it to worship today. There are things that I can improve on, and things that I want to point out from the perspective of an admittedly amateur worship leader.

I think that worship should be pursued with passion and zeal, not something we should have to stand and endure. Do we get more excited about a football game or a political race than we do about worship of our Savior? Ask yourself that question and truthfully answer it. I can say that I will often be that way. I’m always amazed by the amount of passion and vitriol we can direct at the rivals of our favorite teams, but on Sunday mornings we stand there with no emotion whatsoever.

As a worship leader, my job is to lead people to the throne room of God on Sunday mornings, to provide an avenue that helps you in the congregation to give glory to our Creator. I’m still learning how to do this effectively. I’m on a constant search for information about how to be a better worship leader. I was praying about it this last week, and God showed me that I’m trying too hard to be right, and not just being. Rather than being a worshiper myself, I’m too worried about the music sounding right, or what people are thinking of the songs that I’ve picked out. I need to let that go and just worship along with everyone else.

The best compliment that I can receive from someone is nothing, that I and the worship team became completely transparent and they focused on God.

So, let’s all journey together and listen to this call to worship. Share with me what you think of the series as we go along, or even what I’ve said here. I look forward to sharing this with you!

Is this not one of the best album covers ever? Love the look on his face. You can’t often combine cute and awesome like this. Click on the image make it bigger and see how cute Losiah really is.

Oh, and the EP is phenomenal too. Go buy it from iTunes and help Carlos get to #1. Worship music with some drive to it, phenomenal lyrics, and just overall awesome. Can’t wait for the full disc to come out in a couple months. My favorite song on here so far is “We Will Worship” but “Jesus Saves” is moving up the list too. I”m fairly certain that we’ll be introducing these into worship in the next few months. I’m starting to get a fairly long list of new worship songs. This could be good and bad.

Right up front I want to say that I’ve been looking forward to this book for quite some time. I’ve honestly never read any of the rest of Joshua Harris’ books, but because of a personal experience with the author last summer specifically related to the title of this book, I was anxious to read it.

That being said, I was not disappointed. In Dug Down Deep, Joshua Harris lays out why theology matters. In his own words:

[Theology] matters not because we want to impress people, but because what we know about God shapes the way we think and live. Theology matters because if we get it wrong then our whole life will be wrong.”

When he puts it that way, the book sounds like it’s going to be some scholarly, heady tome whose readership will be restricted only to those with advanced degrees in theology and apologetics. Let me assure you that this is not the case. One of the best things about this book is the conversational, easily accessible tone that Harris takes throughout the book. It reads more like a conversation at the breakfast table over coffee than a classroom lecture about theology. This doesn’t mean that it lacks depth though, far from it. Harris is open and honest about struggles he has had in his own life, about places where he thinks that he has failed as well. It’s like having a Sherpa guide take you through Systematic Theology.

Dug Down Deep drills into several different topics, including the transcendence of God, the Bible, sin, the person of Christ, sanctification, the Holy Spirit, and living as the church. While some of those topics might seem out of reach to the lay Christian, they are written in such an engaging way that they become easily understandable. I wish that some of the books I have to read for my seminary classes were this informative and easy to read.

There were a few things that struck me deeply about the book. A couple of quotes in particular really hit me hard. In his chapter about the Holy Spirit, Harris says, “(w)e shouldn’t neglect the person and work of the Holy Spirit just because other people have misrepresented him.” That’s such a powerful thought. Coming from a very conservative Methodist upbringing, then attending an Assemblies of God college, followed by attending mostly Baptist churches, I’ve seen this first hand. On the one extreme, next to nothing is said about the Holy Spirit, treating him like the ugly stepchild of the Trinity. The other end of the spectrum treats the Holy Spirit as the life of the party. I’ve long felt that the best understanding of the Holy Spirit is somewhere in the middle (related thoughts here). I love the passion and the zeal of the charismatic churches, but I also love the ritual and logic of the more formal churches. The truth lies somewhere in between.

Another great thought was in the chapter about making the kingdom of God visible through what we do. He uses the analogy of the church as a gas station. Every week people show up at a convenient time and location to get their fill up, check in, then take off to our own destinations. How many of us are guilty of this, even those of us who serve in ministry roles? We treat church as something to check off our list for the weekend, just like mowing the yard or washing the dog.

Dug Down Deep makes you think throughout the book. Harris deftly handles difficult topics and asks tough questions. This is an excellent book. I’m reading it at a time in my life where I’m in seminary, I’m a volunteer staff member at our church, and I’m working a full time job. Every once in a while a book comes along that seems like it was put into your path by God specifically to encourage you. What Joshua Harris has done with Dug Down Deep feels that way to me.

Another Christmas has come and gone, my 33rd here on this mortal coil. Like most people, this holiday season always brings about memories of when I was a child. Certain things stick out in my mind, things like…

… being at what was then Grandma and Grandpa Ginn’s house (now where my parents live), opening up the first Star Wars toy I can remember. It was an X-Wing, complete with stickers to simulate the moss of Dagobah. Regretted putting those stupid stickers on from the very beginning.

… what was probably my first Christmas at that house after we moved in, and we put the Christmas tree in the basement. Christmas morning I came downstairs to a Knight Rider big wheel that I rode all over the place. Something gnaws at the back of my head saying that I rode it down the stairs once, but surely I wouldn’t have been that stupid, would I?

… always having Christmas dinner (in Kansas, that means at noon) with my Dad’s family. As the years went on that family got progressively bigger and bigger, to the point where we had about 60 in one house one year.

… always having Christmas with Mom’s family the weekend before or after Christmas. This was fun because you were either getting presents early, or you had more presents to look forward to. Yes, I was a greedy little kid. Sue me.

… the clothes that I would often get from grandparents. They were very well meaning, but quite often they would pick out some phenomenally ugly stuff. Remember, this was the 80s and early 90s, so ugly takes on a whole new meaning. Occasionally they would hit a home run with one, but more often than not they would strike out and break the bat over your head.

… candlelight services at our church. It always seems like on of the most peaceful, serene times of year when the lights are out and the church is lit up only by candlelight. The most memorable was when I was 18 and Dad had some, er, difficulty blowing out the candle. I love my father, and I know he probably hates that story, but we laughed so hard that night. I’ll never forget that.

… the year we had pizza for Christmas dinner because I had sold everyone these stupid cards from Pizza Hut for a school fundraising thing. I think they were some kind of buy one, get one free thing that was unlimited. I don’t even remember what it was for, but my family dutifully ponied up for them, then proceeded to run Pizza Hut into the ground getting their free pizza. Never had that fundraiser again.

… playing pitch (a card game) or Trivial Pursuit with my mom’s family. The card games often involved accusations of cheating, mainly against my father and myself. There was also name calling, under-the-breath swearing, and out in the open swearing when someone lost. Oh, and laughter to the point of tears.

As I’ve gotten older, my memories shift from those of my extended family to those of my wife and our family. Memories like…

… our wedding. Our anniversary is December 14, and our wedding had some Christmas-ness to it, so that is always on my mind each year. And, weddings lead to honeymoons, which for us meant…

… Walt Disney World. You really can’t beat WDW at Christmastime. Collette’s dad spoiled us (ruined us, really) and paid for us to go to WDW for our honeymoon as a wedding gift. That turned into us wanting to go back constantly, and always at Christmas. The lights, the weather, and the magic were wonderful. Unfortunately, other people have discovered that as well and it’s a lot more crowded than it used to be. Still, a great place to celebrate the holidays.

… my own children. Ashlee’s first Christmas while we were living in Oklahoma. Alex’s first Christmas at the house we were renting in Kansas. Katie’s first Christmas last year, and David’s first Christmas just last week. Such great memories.

All in all, Christmas is probably the best time of year. I’m looking forward to next year already, but I’m also happy to be past the holiday season this year. I’m ready for the rest of winter, semester two of seminary, Easter, spring, storms, and summer to come back around.

I just got done taking the final for my Introduction to Apologetics class and I wanted to share some of the questions. Actually, I wanted to share the possible answers to the questions. This isn’t posting until Saturday so I can’t be accused of giving out the test to anyone.

According to Muhammad’s account, on his 40th birthday he had a vision on which he was given a message by the angel…

• Gabriel
• Michael
• Emir
• Raphael
• John Travolta

Someone’s been watching too many movies.

Who said, “[religion] is the opiate of the people”?

• Karl Marx
• Joseph Engels
• L. Ron Hubbard
• Thomas Huxley
• Luther Vandross

I don’t think this was one of Luther’s song lyrics.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted the final judgment of the world to happen in 1975 which was said to be the…

• 100 year anniversary of the birth of the founder
• 2000 year anniversary of the birth of Christ
• 6,000 year anniversary of Eve’s first sin
• beginning of disco

I think disco was a punishment on humans. I don’t think it’s the final judgment though. That’s country music.

The main message of the Baha’i is…

• Islam is the only truth
• All religious leaders were actually proclaiming the same God
• Life is suffering
• Big hair and jewelry is the key to spirituality

Obviously the Baha’i don’t believe the big hair and jewelry thing. That’s reserved for the people on TBN, right?

Daodejing is…

• The Sacred Text of Morality
• The Sacred Text of Harmony
• The Sacred Text of Light
• The Sacred Text of Wisdom
• The Sacred Starbucks Drink Menu

It’s like they aren’t even trying anymore. I remember on the test prep stuff for the ACT they told you that there is always one ridiculous answer that you can remove right away. I don’t think they intended it to be that ridiculous.

John Hick, a Christian Theologian, has tried to merge the idea of reincarnation with Christianity by saying that reincarnated souls…

• inhabit other planets
• are born into a Christian family
• return as amphibians
• go into politics

No, I’m not going to show you the wrong one here. Take your pick, because the actual answer is actually just as crazy as the other options.

With his uncle, Muhammad worked alongside other members of his tribe in protecting [blank], a large black stone alleged to contain pagan idols.

• the Ka’aba
• the Khadijah
• the Kabbalah
• the Kasbah
• the Kryptonite

No wonder Superman never messed with the Middle East. They were guarding the kryptonite! It all makes sense now!

I don’t highlight these to poke fun at my school at all. I think they were just having a good time with the test, which I see no problem in that. Honestly, of the four answers that were left it didn’t really make it any easier. Just good fun.

(This was written back in December 2009 for my friend Amy’s website. However, like the terrible person I sometimes am, I didn’t get it finished in time for her to publish it when the album was released. I could blame it on the hospital stay and the appendectomy, but that’s just an excuse.)

What can be said about a band which has had so many words written about them? With a sound that revolutionized worship in the modern church and a lyrical gift that praised our God and prodded us to go deeper, History Makers is the culmination of 17 years of Delirious?.

Delirious? has released eight studio albums in the United States and History Makers picks out pieces of each one of them, combining the varying sounds of different eras into a perfect capstone on their career. From their introduction with Cutting Edge in 1994 to this year’s release of Kingdom of Comfort, Delirious? has always brought powerful music laced with their own special blend of ear-catching lyrics.

The 31 tracks on the Limited Edition of History Makers leans heavily on their first two releases, the double CD Cutting Edge and King of Fools, using 13 songs from those albums. The remaining 18 tracks blend their lesser heralded recordings (Mezzamorphis, Touch) with their recent successes (The Mission Bell, World Service, Kingdom of Comfort). Included is the mellow song Promise, which was released in the UK on Audio Lessonover but didn’t make the cut when that album became Touch in the US.

If you’re wanting the worship music that brought Delirious? to everyone’s attention, then you’ll enjoy the first CD of the two disc set. This disc includes I Could Sing of Your Love Forever and Shout To The North, two perennial members of the CCLI Top 100, the music most sung in churches. Also on the first disc is the namesake of the collection, History Maker, one of their best live songs and a staple of their concerts. The second disc features songs that gave Delirious? crossover appeal internationally, including Deeper, Inside Outside, and Every Little Thing.

One more bonus to the Limited Edition is the DVD which features all the videos Delirious? has produced over the years. These videos provide a fun look back at styles over the years. Their first video, Deeper, is obviously shot with little budget as compared to their last for Inside Outside.

If I had to pick things to not like about this collection, it would first be the lack of live music. While the studio recordings of their songs are great, they have an added dimension when performed live. Some of the best versions of songs like Rain Down and Solid Rock are the live ones. It’s a small thing, but something that stood out to me. Also, it would have been nice to have a new song or two thrown in with the collection, just as a nod to the longtime fans.

So, after 17 years of music and ministry, Delirious? is folding up their tent and moving on. For those of us who are fans of their music this is a bittersweet day, as no more Delirious? albums will be made. Unlike many secular bands, Delirious? isn’t stopping because of arguments or conflict, they are passing on to their next stage of life, raising children, and using the platform provided by their success to promote more charitable works.

Martin, Stu, Tim, Jon, Stew, and Paul: thanks for the memories, the music, and most of all, thanks for showing us all that church music doesn’t have to be stodgy and traditional. God bless in all your future endeavors. Oh, and understand we won’t complain if you decide to get back together every once in a while.

I wish my head weren’t swimming right now.

So much to do, so much responsibility, so little direction, so little time.

Desperate for the hand of God, but feeling like it’s just out of my reach.

Struggling with what’s going on, feeling so overwhelmed.

The water is clear enough to see the murkiness in it. The sky is bright enough to notice the clouds. The music is quiet enough to hear how loud it is.

Close enough to people to know how alone I am, successful enough to know how much of a failure, sharp enough to know how dull.

I’m on the edge of everything, yet not fully committed to anything. I hover around like a satellite on the edge of space, tenuously hanging between the pull of Earth’s gravity and floating off into the abyss, afraid to go either direction. If I fall towards the Earth I might burn up in the atmosphere. If I let go of gravity’s grip I could float off endlessly into the unknown, the vasty nothingness.

Sick of it all. Sick of the holding back, sick of the pushing forward, sick of the known, sick of the unknown.

The only place I can go for peace is a struggle to get to. Not because I can’t do it but because I won’t commit to it. What happens when I lose control? What happens when I put someone else in charge? What happens? I don’t know. I can’t know.

I have to get there though, I can’t push it aside. If I give up the source of my strength, my only connection to that which holds me up, where does that leave me?

To know You is to never worry for my life
To know You is to never give into compromise and
To know You is to want to tell the world about You
‘Cause I can’t live without You

To know You is to hear Your voice when You are calling
To know You is to catch my brother when he is falling
To know You is to feel the pain of the brokenhearted
‘Cause they can’t live without You

More than my next breath
More than life or death
All I’m reaching for, I live my life to know You more
I leave it all behind, You’re all that satisfies To know You is to want to know You more To know You is to want to know You more

To know You is to ache for more than ordinary
To know You is to look beyond the temporary
To know You is believing that You’ll be enough
‘Cause there’s no life without You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You
And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

All this life could offer me
Could not compare to You, compare to You And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You And I count it all as loss
Compared to knowing You, knowing You

The only way to know You is to seek You, to talk with You. You are more than enough for me, though I feel I’m less than I should be. I have to commit, I have to be willing to do whatever it takes to know You, every day. All other things are secondary.

(I wrote this about six months ago for a local magazine, but I’ve not seen it published yet. They had their time, so I’m posting it here. Hope you enjoy!)

For a seven year old, giving anything up is difficult. Children, like all of us, are by nature selfish people. When a child decides to give up something personal to help someone they don’t even know, it is a special thing to witness.

In April, our daughter Ashlee noticed an article on the front page of a small-town newspaper about a girl who had donated her hair to a charity called Locks of Love. This charity provides hairpieces to children under the age of 18 who have long-term hair loss due to a medical condition. The hairpieces are given at low cost or free of charge.

She began reading the article and asking questions about it. “Why did the little girl pictured cut her hair?” “Where does the hair go?” “What do they do with it?” After a few questions, we pulled up Locks of Love’s website and began telling her about all that the charity does. We were about to end the conversation, thinking it was just part of satisfying the curiosity of a seven year old. She sat thoughtfully for a moment, then said “I want to do that.”

When we understood that she was serious about it, we sat her down and told her what she needed to do. She had to cut off at least 10 inches of hair, and we would send it in for her. We also told her how proud we were that she wanted to contribute to such a great cause.

The morning of April 30, my wife took Ashlee to Salon 203 in Van Alstyne. When they arrived, the salon was about to close for the day. However, when Ashlee and Collette explained why they were there, Whitney Mandes exclaimed that she would love to be the one to cut Ashlee’s hair. Thirty minutes later, Ashlee had a new, shorter hair cut and an 11 inch ponytail of  hair to send to Locks of Love.

We mailed off the package containing her hair the next week. It’s funny how such a nondescript brown package can mean so much. To us, this was a happy moment, a signal of the growing maturity of our oldest daughter. It was inspired by a little girl from a small town in Kansas. We may never know who receives Ashlee’s gift. It is our prayer that this story inspires others to give as well.

I’ve changed hosts in an effort to correct some of the problems I’ve been having with my site. Hopefully the RSS feed will work again and everything will be working correctly now. This post is also a test to see if it shows up.

Thanks for reading!

A few months back my friend Laura wrote a post on her website called The Fear of Man vs. The Fear of God. In it she opens a window into her struggle with satisfying men instead of satisfying God. She brought it up again in a post yesterday and I thought I would toss my own hat in the ring with some thoughts. (Also, I’m a terrible person because I never commented on this before. Forgive me, Laura.)

First, a quote from Laura’s first post:

People-pleasers are bold, too, as long as everyone in the room agrees with them. People-pleasers do not, though, have true opinions of their own; their current view depends upon who has ‘gotten to them’ last. People-pleasers are never satisfied because they await the next thing that makes them feel like ‘part of the crowd.’

This is exactly the way I feel sometimes. I am willing to stand out on the ledge, so long as the ledge is big enough to hold several others that are out there with me. I feel like I’m rarely bold enough to throw my own opinion out there unless I know that there are others who agree with me. I’m not anxious to move out, draw fire and take the flaming arrows for unpopular ideas.

This affects me as a worship leader too. I want everyone to be happy with the music that we do, so I often tend to play it safe rather than push the envelope a little. While I do believe that I should never push for the sake of pushing, I do think that we should be a little uncomfortable. Comfort leads to complacency.

How do we get past this fear of man? Laura smacked this one out of the park:

Standing in awe of God, revering God, allowing God to take His proper place in our lives gives great freedom! Proverbs says that the fear of the Lord brings knowledge, strong confidence, and a fountain of life.

When our eyes are fixed on the One who gives us life, they can’t be drawn to those who suck the life out of us. Our focus should be on God and what God wants us to do. The people who sling the arrows aren’t responsible for what God has given us, we are! Only when we get those priorities straight can we really blossom into what we’re intended to be.

On a personal note, I’m glad that Laura put this out there. It’s tough to admit our failings in front of the world, but especially in front of our friends. As Christians we spend so much time trying to be perfect, so much energy trying to hide the dark side of ourselves, and we forget that there are probably others sharing that same struggle. We need more openness, more community, and less of the stained glass masquerade.