Coming Attractions

This clip has been around the block a few times, but I'd like to share it with all of you for this mad dash of a weekend posting.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

It's clever, but it is a great place to launch an evaluation and discussion of how we do Sunday services. I realize the subject has many layers and is far too broad to handle in a short blog post, but if we focus on the "how" of our approach as musicians to the weekend service I believe it reveals much of the "why" in our motives.

Are we selling an experience that lasts an hour and ensures repeat visits in the coming weeks? Can this approach actually be a positive thing? Is there a need to return to "long" weekend services in order to ensure that God has room to move? Are we trendy or traditional to a fault? How big of a priority is the weekend service in our personal prayer and meditation time?

I want to be a facilitator of a worship journey in each gathering that happens on the weekend. I want to be a leader in praise and worship setting an example for the congregation to follow. I want to be passionate about the culture I am helping to create in the local assembly. I want to be sensitive to the voice of God at all times both in preparation and execution. The process by which all of this takes place is still in formation, but I want my motives to remain pure in the midst of whatever culture is being cultivated.

Get A Theme Song

Have you ever been so delusional as to pretend that you have theme music when you walk into a room? Well, I have. I once created a CD with all my favorite theme songs; like Thunder Cats and the Imperial March from Star Wars. I would play the song that best fit my mood at the time. If I was a little short-tempered that day – Star Wars. If I was in a “heroic mood” – Thunder Cats. But I must confess that no matter what mood I was in before I started the song, I felt better after playing it, and acting out my emotions in my mind as drove, walked, or just sat there. I know that I might sound crazy, but it calmed my nerves. No one was harmed and I never tried to commit super-human feats.

I don’t know about you, but I think I might have a slight touch of ADD. So sitting down reading scriptures (as much as I love sitting down reading scriptures) doesn’t always help me through some of my situations. I get distracted. Because everything that runs in and out of my mind, runs in and out of my mind at that time. So sometimes when I’m in deep thought about something I throw on some music that reflects how I feel about that and it will set a backdrop for me to play it all out in my head. I don’t normally talk to anybody during this time, as people’s feelings might get hurt (if I’m listening to the Imperial March).

Like right now, I’m pretty happy, because I’m getting ready to leave my job and go to a party, but it would sure help if I had some tunes playing and not that mild office roar going on. Because in that roar, I get distracted and I find myself inadvertently tuning into some of the things I can actually hear. So pardon me if I seem like I’m bouncing all over the place because I am.

But to sum all this up, music is an excellent tool to help us when it seems nothing else can. If I’m discouraged, I’ll play a song that will encourage me. And while that song is playing, I begin thinking about all the good things that can come after the discouragement, the silver-lining if you will.:-)

PS. I made this short so you wouldn’t feel like you wasted too much time, if it made absolutely no sense to you.:-)

My BAD attitude and Sunday morning worship sets

Someone once said to a room full of pastoral staff that if you never considered leaving ministry then you probably weren't working hard enough. The whole room laughed and for a brief moment there was a bit of transparency that everyone had at one point asked themselves what exactly were they working so hard for? On that positive note, I would like to share just such a moment with you lovely people.

It was an overcast Sunday morning, I was arriving at morning rehearsal at the last possible minute, I was exhausted from the rat routine of life, and those warnings of effective leaders rendering themselves ineffective through overworking and lacking passion were screaming very loudly in my head. Once inside I discovered that there was no sound crew, the singers and musicians were united in their inability to prepare for the one song that the entire worship set was built around in both theme and key relationship, and it seemed that each singer was determined to be flat just to spite me. Rehearsal was a nightmare, and although I was constantly praying under my breath that I realized it wasn't about me I walked onto the platform for the 9:00 service in a very crabby sort of mood.

In the first few moments of the service which included an opening by a staff pastor that was lackluster and disorganized followed by a team of musicians that missed an introduction I was beginning to wonder why on earth I put so much time and energy into this moment. After all, aren't our Christian lives supposed to be much more effective and large outside of these brief weekend moments? Do I really even feel called to this? I am starting to dislike these wonderful people, isn't that a terrible thing to be avoided at all costs because isn't ministry about loving such people? As the first moments of the service were fumbled through by unprepared musicians and people trickled into the sanctuary with the lackadaisical attitude that marks Southern California church culture I was ready to throw in the towel.

It was in a very bad attitude that I lifted my eyes from the keys and the immediate surroundings of what was happening musically and really looked out at the congregation. The first thing I noticed was the group of new converts who came from the same half-way house lined up on the front row with their friends that keep accompanying them, and they all seemed to have tears flowing down their faces while they sang their way through the song. I started to see more and more individual faces as they offered themselves up their worship in a vulnerable and beautiful manner while singing along with the worship set as it flowed from moment to sweet moment in God's presence. I saw stories and people who represent vastly different cultural experiences and backgrounds come together in that moment to seek one thing that they desire above all else and prove it in their pursuit of intimacy with God.

Of course such moments bring tears and repentance and humility, but even more a great sense of validation and the reminder that there is nothing that can replace the realization that you are being used in that moment to facilitate the experience so many gather to encounter in the little Sunday morning church service. It breaks down any sense of personal accomplishment when you realize that these people would still push towards God in spite of your lack of musical preparedness, yet because you take it seriously the moment is all the better and your offering as a musician and singer is something you give in each moment you prepare for this. I realize that in all things we do in word and deed is done in the name of Jesus, but on that Sunday morning my service to the people of God is done as much behind closed doors in whatever preparation I engage in as much as it is in the musical performance of the worship set itself.

It is a fairly new intention of mine to respond to the obligatory, yet sincere comments from people that they loved the music of the church service by saying that it is really about creating space for that encounter with God. I then ask if they liked the song, did they know it, and is there anything they sing throughout the week in devotion that really impacts the moment? The feedback so far has been somewhat constrained as people are not sure if they can be totally honest, but it is my goal that my church music department pours as much as we possibly can into the people who attend our services. It is likely that frustration will occur, but perhaps not at the moment that represents the culmination of a musician's sacrifice and service.

Same Ole' Same Ole'

Wow! I apologize for my tardy post and lack of posting last month.
I know I was supposed to post about this last month, but it is actually relevant to me right now. As a music minister, it's my responsibility to oversee all things music at my church. And in an attempt to relieve myself of a little bit of the responsibility, I allow the song leaders to choose their own songs. While this benefits me on any other day, it seems to make my mind have to work overtime on Sunday because I still have to filter through their songs. Sometimes when someone is only leading songs once a month, he/she can be tempted to pick the same songs each month. It may not seem that noticeable to them, but everybody else notices.

I recently received an email suggesting that I have the song leaders keep a notebook with a lists of the songs sang every service. This person noticed that a couple of the songs selected had already been sung within the last two weeks. Now, one would think that using different people would automatically increase the variety of songs sang. This is not quite as simple as it sounds. one has to factor in the fact that the rest of your praise team needs to know the songs and your musicians need to know the songs as well. Contrary to popular belief, it's not always a great idea to decide to sing a song no one else knows right before church. I know we're Apostolic, and we should be instant in season and out of season, but music is not something that can just be thrown together. You're not just depending on one person, but several others. And even though everybody should be at a certain level, everybody's NOT at a certain level. Sometimes you just have to use common sense.

So, how do you get out of the rut of doing the same songs all the time? The answer seems to be simple... Learn more songs, buddy. But it's more than that. You have to learn more songs, and just more songs, but also a variety of styles. Sometimes I have to force myself to listen to artists that I would not normally listen to. Doing this helps me try to find something I like about different styles. Once I find something I like, I try to find ways to incorporate it in my playing.

I also like to sit down and just play without any CDs or anything else. Just being creative on my own; using the things I've learned from listening to different styles, helps me to be able to change things up. Now, if I want to play something with a different rhythm, that's not a problem. If I want to try I'll fly away with a Reggae twist... might not sound so great, but it's not killing me to try it out.

One may ask, "what does this have to do with song leaders picking the same songs?" Well, just like I (as a musician) have to listen to styles that I don't care for and use them, my song leaders will have to begin expanding their horizons and trying new styles. It's almost like going to a restaurant and getting the same thing every time you go. You'll never know how much you like something until you try it.

Mentors, Part 2

What distinguishes Pavarotti from Domingo, or from, say, the master of music candidate giving their umpteenth recital in the hopes of making it to the big leagues, the lead role in a Puccini or Donizetti opera?

Granted, you have to have the technique down. That’s a no brainer. If you can’t keep your notes in tune and zip through the virtuosic literature then you don’t stand a chance anywhere. That’s just practice, practice, practice. But there is one thing you cannot learn in the practice room, at least not all on your own: Musicianship.

Most of what I learned about musicianship I learned from one person, Richard “Dad” Hoffland. He and his wife labored over the Millikin University choir for many years, finally retiring in 1991. I had the fortune of singing under his direction for four tours. His musicianship was, in modern parlance, old school. If this link works, give it a try, if you want an example of his conducting. There wasn’t a composition that he would conduct that didn’t have something extra, something special, something undeniably and irrevocably influenced by the way he directed the choir. He had a certain “style” as it were. And the musicianship. Boy howdy. If you didn’t become a real musician just by singing under his baton, then you just simply weren’t paying attention.

What does this have to do with “Apostolic” music, you may be wondering? That is, if you have gotten this far, and didn’t stop reading immediately upon coming across the “O” word. People seem to have a special hatred for certain genres of music. The “O” word is high among the list.

If you can get past the occasional out-of-tune solos in some of our churches (I realize there are places where these are more the norm than occasional, perhaps due to some nepotic or otherwise inbred or lazy acculturative tendencies), and if you can get past the general unpreparedness some folks bring to their leading worship or singing specials (again, refer to the parenthetical comment above), and if the musicians are attentive to the singer, and the singer is able to get past the notes and get to the music, you may be able to hear what I mean. I imagine I will get some flack for not putting any emphasis here on the worship. That is fine and well deserved. I will address that in a future post.

Oh. And by the way, I don’t have a strong preference in the Pavarotti vs. Domingo argument. I like Domingo’s voice. I like Pavarotti’s bearing. Pavarotti is the king of the dramatic (overly or melodramatic, some would say) whereas Domingo is in a class all by himself. There’s a hundred of ‘em, if not a thousand, but the artiste verité is one in a million. Or a billion. For a representative comparison, give Domingo a listen, then listen to Pavarotti singing the same aria.

Music Mentors, Part 1

Who are your music mentors? I have a few. I’ll start with one from my delicate high school years.

Most folks I have encountered who have studied classical piano for any length of time have what can best be referred to as a love-hate relationship with the instrument. They love it. But they hate it. They love to hate it. It’s not really the piano’s fault. Playing piano well (doing ANYTHING well, for that matter) takes a lot, I mean, a LOT of practice. Hours and hours. And hours and hours. And I just didn’t put in the required effort.

Mrs. Philpott was my first piano teacher. Lovely name for a piano teacher, don’t you think? She lived over on Canterbury Lane. Picturesque address, isn’t it? I just made it up. I think she lived on . . . well forget it. Something Lane. I don't remember too much of those early years, only, that, well, I preferred to play by ear rather than by note. I would ask Mrs. Philpott to demonstrate a particular passage that I struggled with, then I wouldn’t have to learn to read music. I could just play it back just as I had heard it. I had a good memory for it, I suppose.

Whatever happened with Old Mrs. Philpott, is one for the unsolved mysteries of life. Dr. Kelly, on the other hand, is a completely different story. He was a man from a different generation. Born in 1921 or maybe it was 1923 or 1919, he was one of those tortured souls. Tortured by his love for the piano. He played it constantly. He loved it, more than anything. He practiced ferociously, whipping through degree after degree until finally earning the equivalent of a D.M.A. from Northwestern University. His love for music consumes him. His passion for it, unbounded.

As a piano teacher, Dr. Kelly was a stern, uncompromising taskmaster. He had a pointer he would use, with which he would point to items in the musical score that you had missed, or alternatively, he would use it to tap you on the shoulder to indicate it was time to stop playing because you forgot something or missed something or what have you.

I didn’t always practice as much as I should have. To be completely honest, I don’t recall ever practicing very much in my pre-college days. I practiced just enough to get by. And it was eventually enough to get me into a performance program in college. Dr. Kelly was never very pleased with my playing, at least, hardly ever. And he would berate me for being involved in any extra-curricular activity at school, high school musical, tennis, soccer. Anything that kept me away from time that should be devoted to practicing the piano was . . . can we say that he was jealous for my music time? I did end up quitting piano under his tutelage, about halfway through my junior year of high school (coinciding roughly with the high school musical). Early in my senior year, we had a time of patching together the rough places of our relationship and he helped me get a program ready for my applications to colleges.

He was from a generation where hard work was the expectation, the norm. Anything less is simply inadequate and to be reprimanded. Hard work, it would seem, has gone from being commonplace to being largely absent in the last few decades.

Who is jealous for your time today? Who is expecting more from you than you think you are capable of giving? You do have it in you. Let God help to bring it out of you.

How do YOU Know?

Someone suggested that I discuss how I know I’m called to music ministry. I would like to first apologize for this late entry. I am currently having my computer worked on by a friend whom I believe is working in a calling that God has given him. I plan to use this friend to reinforce my opinion. While I am extremely tired; I will try to write more than a simple one-line answer.

My friend is an extremely intelligent and talented computer engineer. He is probably the most sought after PC company in our county. One day, a lady from our church was seeking someone to donate a website to raise money to purchase a wheel chair accessible van. Not only did this particular friend donate the website, but he came to our church and donated the labor, a lot of the hardware and software, and another website for our church. The “greatness” of my friend’s skills need not be discussed to make this point. Just know that he was helping any churches in our area with these things because he is passionate about it being done and it being done well; and beyond that, being done correctly.

I’ve visited this man’s house and had to leave because he was in some kind of “computer code zone” and could not communicate with me. He knows that this is his calling because it, at times can consume him. He operates effectively in this ministry, correctly and insists that it be done well. These are great qualities to have when operating in a ministry. Even though none of us are perfect, God will see these qualities and improve us to be what we need to be to get the job done where we’re at.

There is no doubt that many people have different responses to the question of how they knew they were “called” to do something. Some say that they saw visions or dreamed dreams. Some say they were prophesied to. I say that it was a natural occurrence in my life.

I know that this may not even be coherent, but I don’t care. It’s too late to go back through this and start erasing and replacing stuff. But I believe one way for people to know they are called to something is the natural manifestation of that ministry in their lives. Please note that Saul was called to be king and it was his qualities that became associated with those that would be king. Then David came with a totally new set of qualities. There is not much of a “standard” set for people being “called” into certain ministries. God needs a willing vessel that will allow Him to equip and qualify them. Just as SSD said, God needs laborers. We shouldn’t feel like God only wants to use certain people in certain ministries. He’ll use whoever will allow Him to use them. Sometimes that willingness can bring a “calling.”

God bless!