Is It About Him or Me?

I was in a car with a pastor friend of mine and his wife. She began to express how much she liked a particular song. While she was talking I began humming the words to the song in my head and exclaimed, “This song has A LOT of words!” The pastor nodded his head and said, GOOD! Most songs now don’t have many words.” He went on to say that the few words they do have, focus more on us and not God. I responded with “huh?” The pastor reminded me of some words to several songs and how everything is about us.

Well, I can see that. But, it seems those songs are more about what He does for us than simply us. There’s nothing wrong with singing songs about all the great things God’s done for us. It’s all gravy as long as it’s balanced by simply singing songs that are just about Him and His greatness.

Maybe some of these songs are misunderstood. After all, I’m the type of person that makes statements and some information is omitted because it’s implied. We sing about what we are and our heritage as Apostolics, but the fact that He got us there is omitted. Well… That’s because it’s implied. That’s all fine and dandy, but what about the person that comes to the church from off the street and totally misses this implication? That may be a good time to actually sing a song about Him and how He turned your life around.

Reminds me of when the disciples were complaining to Jesus about how he didn’t hold any punches when addressing them, but when he spoke to the multitudes, he spoke in parables. Sometimes you just have to cater to the people there. I know that sometimes we really like a song, but the music ministry’s main goal (in most places) isn’t to minister to the music ministry. The goal is to lead people to a new experience in Christ and prepare them for the preaching of the Word. That’s probably not getting done if the songs going forth make no sense to the people listening to them. Next time you’re in your church, observe who’s around and what songs are being sung. You can even observe the comments made by others through the service. See if you can tell if the people are being ministered to or if they’re just plain confused. Try not to laugh out loud.

I apologize for the late post.

Covering all the bases

I recently completed Biblical Interpretation at UGST, which was an experience in so many ways! Dr. David Norris, who is quite possibly the most brilliant person I know - or at least in the top 5 - taught the course. One morning, as a devotional, we sang Psalm 136 - that famous responsorial psalm which ends each verse with the phrase - "for his mercy endureth forever" - you know, the phrase you start to skip over after a while. Or at least I did. That is, until Dr. Norris stood at the whiteboard and wrote the Hebrew letters for this phrase on the board and proceeded to explain to us its real meaning. When he came to the Hebrew words for "mercy endureth forever" I was so amazed - this phrase means that his love is infinite, unending, from beginning of time until end, matchless. When we fail to love, he continues. When all other mercy fails, his continues. Isn't that amazing?

The neat part was when a dear sister in our class who sings R&B was unexpectedly called to the front to sing the first half of each verse - ad lib, on-the-fly, with no advance notice! Let me just say, "you nailed it, Sis. Angela!" While she sang the first half, the class "responded," as the psalmist intended, with a chant-like refrain of "for his mercy endureth forever." By the time we got to verse 23 which states, "He who remembered us in our lowely estate.....," let me tell you - I wondered if we would be able to have class that day!

There is something about singing the pslams - a silly-sounding thing to say, considering that's how they were SUPPOSED to be expressed. I wonder what would happen if we would choose to intone them in our choirs, or small groups? Trust me, you don't need instrumentation for something like that! The Word is so powerful and there is something about the way that particular psalms flows. Starting with a Kerygma type of worship which proclaims God's great attributes, then flowing to a Koinonia worship where the congregation is reminding each other of God's great deeds (crossing the Red Sea, being delivered from Pharoah's army), to a Leitourgia worship which speaks the words directly to God - this psalm covers it all. We argue about "verical" worship or "horizontal" worship so much. Could it be that we could simply take a page from the greatest book of songs and just put it all in there? Sing to God, to each other and about God so that everyone would know of his enduring, infinite mercy.

Since I always forget, I'm listening to........very little......my car's CD player is on the blink. But I am spinning Israel's "Power of One" quite a bit a home, especially "I Receive" - that song blows me away. I'm reading...... anything about capital punishment - writing a paper.

Your Hands

Instruments?

Who needs instruments?

We don’t need no stinkin’ instruments.

You've got two hands, don't you?

In my last post I mentioned how I have had difficulty adjusting to singing while clapping a syncopated rhythm. What I neglected to mention is that there is no keyboard or guitar in most of the church services I have been to while I've been here. In fact, there hasn't even been much in the way of drums! Well, except for in Achi. And Awka. And Lagos. Okay, so I don’t have a solid grasp of what’s “normal” regarding music in the churches here! Not too different from back home in the states.

Anyway. There is a point I’d like to make here, and it concerns rhythm and it concerns hands as instruments. When we clap in the U.S. about the only debate that rages is whether to clap on the downbeat or the ‘offbeat’ (beats one and three vs. beats two and four if you’re keeping time). As I mentioned previously, here it’s more or less one strong clap per measure with a second syncopated clap. There is sometimes an additional syncopated clap per measure. But that only tells a part of the story.

You see, when there are no drums or other instruments, the only rhythmic variation is in how the clapping is done. Here, after two or three times through a chorus, sometimes additional clapping will occur as a crescendo / diminuendo bridging the end of the chorus and the beginning of the chorus again. A sort of rhythmic interlude, if you will. I find it most difficult to describe because the intensity of it exists on a scale that would be difficult to imagine if you did not experience it.

The worship leader is also able to cue the clapping by a simple exhortation, “Your Hands!” This can mean anything from 1) starting a clapping rhythm where one did not previously exist, 2) a growing intensity of varying clapping rhythms as a bridge or interlude between choruses, or 3) I have even seen a “clapping song” where there were no words, only a swirling rhythmic vortex where rhythmic clapping in concert constituted the entire musical output of the selection. It was amazing. And I will miss it. When I am back in my congregation in the U.S. and I try saying “Your Hands” it will not be the same.

They’ll thank you . . .someday

Music lessons. We’ve all had them, be they for piano, guitar, trumpet, etc. And I’m probably not the only one who hated logging in that daily practice time.

My poor mom. I was a real musical prodigy, as I sat on the bench, banged my hands on the keys, and cried my crocodile tears. “You’ll thank me someday,” she said. And, of course, I was doubtful.

My piano teacher didn’t have it much better, as I creeped and crawled through the lesson book, one excruciating week at a time. Two steps forward, three steps back. I think the summers I took off were as much for her sake, as my own.

So imagine the pressure when my beloved teacher from childhood days visited our church on a recent Sunday. You must understand . . . she was good. The kind of music director a pastor dreamed about, that could follow his leading without pause, no matter what antiquated song he pulled from the back of his brain on a whim. And there she sat as I led worship. I’m glad to report nothing too horrific happened. We had a good song service, and I didn’t knock the keyboard off its stand or forget the words to every song I ever knew.

I wonder what her thoughts were as I stood up there playing. Perhaps she marveled a bit to see her hard work finally pay off. Thanks to her efforts, my mother’s dogged persistence, and a handful of other patient instructors, I am now a music director in my own right. And it only took fifteen years.

Maybe some of you have your own little prodigies at home. Whether they be your own children, or someone else’s. I’m sure there are times you want a summer vacation as they bang through John Thompson or whatever course you’ve chosen.

Maybe my musical testimony can give you a hint of encouragement. They can make it. It might take a looooong time. But they can make it. And so can you!

P. S. Thanks, Mom!

Wedding Dresses and Congregational Singing

There is a congregation in our beautiful city that recently sang "Wedding Dress" by Derek Webb as a part of their worship set. It caused a bit of a stir much like the song did when it was first released about six years ago. Some Christian retailers refused to sell the album that contained the song, but there were few discussions as to whether or not it would be appropriate for congregational use. The lyrics are as follows (for those who are not familiar with the song):

If you could love me as a wife
And for my wedding gift, your life
Should that be all I’d ever need?
Or is there more I’m looking for

And should I read between the lines
And look for blessings in disguise
To make me handsome, rich, and wise
Is that really what you want?

[Chorus]
‘Cause I am a whore I do confess
But I put you on just like a wedding dress
And I run down the aisle, I run down the aisle
I’m a prodigal with no way home
But I put you on just like a ring of gold
And I run down the aisle
I run down the aisle to you

So could you love this bastard child?
Though I don’t trust you to provide
With one hand in a pot of gold
And with the other in your side
‘Cause I am so easily satisfied
By the call of lovers so less wild
That I would take a little cash
Over your very flesh and blood

Because money cannot buy
A husband’s jealous eye
When you have knowingly deceived his wife

©2002 Niphon, Inc. (Admin by Music Services). All right reserved. Used by permission. ASCAP

It is a moving song, a call to holiness, and a song that preaches rather than exhorts. It is as viable and important to the church today as it was six years ago. The major issue is, of course, the language. Should a congregation sing, "I'm a whore..." in one accord, children and adults? How would you explain that one to a 2 year old? In the context of the song, the word simply refers to unfaithfulness. The repentant tone reminds one of "Heart of Worship" and "Hear Us From Heaven." Is this a song you should use for the larger congregational gathering? Should it be limited to smaller, and more intimate times of worship? Should the song be appreciated on one's personal iPod and not shared at all? Is it really the language that makes us uncomfortable, or the truth it speaks about the majority of the church world?

Music Dependence?

Hello, blog world! My name is TJ Walton and I’m from Alabama (please don’t be a hater). I’ve read several blogs, but have not done much blogging of my own. I consider the opportunity to write for this blog an honor and I’m thankful for the chance to be heard.

I was talking to a good friend the other day and the topic of our dependence, as Apostolic Pentecostals, on music was brought up. For some reason, maybe because I’m a musician, I got defensive about it. But after thinking about it, I realized that maybe we have become too dependent on music to lead us where we need to be or where we want to be.

We talked about how sometimes, it’s like pulling teeth to get people to raise their hands, clap, shout to God, or even come to an altar without the music. Surely, we’ve all been in a service where there was not music at some point other than the preaching and it felt like there was something missing. This might have made it a little uncomfortable for people to lift their hands and worship freely. Then there are services where it is clear that the music needs to stop and God desires time with just us lifting our voices. You may ask, “Why are you talking about our dependence on music if we still have services like that?” The thing is, those services seem to have become a rare occurrence.

My friend pointed out that it appears Saul would call upon David to play instead of seeking the counsel of Samuel early on, which to him signified choosing music instead of God or God’s Word to help him through whatever problem he was facing. I agreed. It made sense; maybe there is something to this needing the music before seeking God. Please don’t misunderstand. Music is, without question, a way that God truly desires to be worshipped. No one is questioning the significance of all the Psalms or the hymns and spiritual songs cited in our Bibles. There are simply people who are concerned that we may not be able to worship God without music and there are some who are afraid we’ll, eventually, just be worshipping music or the singer/musician instead God.

A lot of people will say that you have to watch musicians because that was Lucifer’s job when he was in Heaven. Some will say that it’s the spirit of music that causes folks to be distracted from God. I firmly disagree! God created Lucifer and God gave him the gift of music. What he did with that music was his choice! So, it’s not the spirit of the music that is our concern, but the spirit of the person playing or singing the music. If you’re a singer or musician, please cover yourself in prayer before you get up to lead your congregation in song. Ask God to not let you be glorified, but to let Him be glorified through you and we will see more of those services where the music stops and it just seems to be God and me, or God and you all alone in the room.

God Bless!

Songs Without Words

A few years ago one of my piano students gave me a paper weight with this message engraved on it: “Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Depending on my mood and my circumstance, I can always find a song that speaks to me and seems to sum everything up.

I recently read an article in Christianity Today, June 2009 issue, by Carolyn Arends that talked about music’s ability to “put into words” those things which we cannot say with words alone. Whether music with lyrics or without lyrics, music has this amazing ability to transcend the message we are trying to communicate. Felix Mendelssohn, the great Romantic era composer who composed two sets of pieces for piano which entitled “Songs Without Words” said the following:

“A piece of music that I love expresses thoughts to me that are not too imprecise to be framed in words, but too precise. So I find that attempts to express such thoughts in words may have some point to them, but they are also unsatisfying.”

Whether it is thoughts of joy and celebration or remorse and sadness, music can, in Arends words, “say more than we are even saying.” She gives tells the story of Olivier Messiaen, the great 20th Century French composer, who was sent to a concentration camp by the Nazis in 1940. Rather than just waste away, Messiaen convinced a guard to get him some paper and pencils and he composed one of his most famous pieces, the Quartet for the End of Time, which was performed for 4,000 people in the camp, prisoners and guards included. Somehow, music communicated something that could not be spoken otherwise. As Arends concluded, “art must be, somehow, essential for life….an unquenchable expression of who we are.

I find that I agree with Arends when she concludes that our gift of creativity comes from the fact that we are made in His image. Arends states:
“When we meet this God, our creativity becomes one of the ways we delight in him. When we are lost in some endeavor – consumed by singing a song, dancing a jig, building a presentation, or telling a story – people say we are “in our glory.” In truth we are in God’s glory, participating in the beauty overflowing from the Creator himself.”