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Reasons and Disclaimer

Blended worship: the phrase used to create something uneasy inside me.  I always pictured people with big hair singing a very operatic version of “Lord I Lift Your Name On High.”

I’ve been a part of the conversation about contemporary vs. traditional church music for a long time now and I am just as surprised as anyone that I now pastor a church that has a more blended (“both”) musical style.

One important thing that we’ve learned over the past few months is that when contemporary songs are sung alongside traditional (although newly-arranged) ones, it raises the impact and value of both.  People who find themselves more connected to singing new songs are discovering the depth and creativity of hymns.  People who grew up singing hymns are realizing the accessibility and spiritual nurturing that can happen as people sing contemporary songs together.  It is amazing to see people of all ages and places in life connect in one hybrid worship service.

A lot of what we’ve learned has come from a dedication not to worship style but to the theological basis and purpose of singing in the life of a church.  Something really does happen when music seeps into a person’s soul in a safe and common place like church.  Words take on a different meaning and place in our lives when they come out of the deepest part of us. Singing is a vulnerable act and when we partake in it together we place ourselves in the right position before God, remembering what he’s done for us and what he has called us to do in light of it.  And all of this is secondary behind the fact that praising God is a Biblically-mandated action for believers (Psalm 67:3, Joel 2:26, James 5:13).

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Reasons and Disclaimer

The Saddleback Civil Forum:

-I heard snippets of it on the radio.  Strange because, in the only real answers I heard, both Barry and JAMMAKANE quoted the first line of an obscure book that Pastor Rick wrote once.

-However, I did hear Rick Warren ask a great question.  It went something like this:

A LOT OF TIMES CANDIDATES ARE ACCUSED OF FLIP FLOPPING, BUT ACTUALLY SOMETIMES FLIP FLOPPING IS SMART BECAUSE YOU HAVE DECIDED A BETTER POSITION BASED ON KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE.  WHAT’S THE MOST SIGNIFICANT POSITION YOU HELD TEN YEARS AGO THAT YOU NO LONGER HOLD TODAY, THAT YOU FLIPPED ON, YOU CHANGED ON BECAUSE YOU ACTUALLY SEE IT DIFFERENTLY? (transcript)

I wasn’t as interested in the candidate’s answers as I was in the fact that someone has finally pointed out this ridiculous tactic often used in America’s current political culture.

Any great leader knows that making a great decision trumps making a quick decision any day.  It also trumps making a decision consistently over the years.  I learned this most clearly from one of the best leadership books that I’ve ever read, A Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership by Steve Sample (USC President; written before the word ‘contrarian’ became a cliche’)

The first chapter is called “Thinking Gray, and Free” and it discusses the art of holding two opposing opinions about the same topic in your mind and only choosing one WHEN YOU HAVE TO.  Then you take a look at the circumstances of the decision, hold both schools of thought up to them…and choose.  Sample says this has helped him make many great decisions, as evident in the book and by USC’s success.

This is very important for a pastor to learn, especially one who is planting a church.  There are thousands of decisions to make.  And each one has an impact on the church that is being created under their watch.  Obviously, some are more important than others, but they are decisions none-the-less.

After I learned to Think Gray, I realized that I can listen to a wide array of people: Mark Driscoll and Bob Hyatt, Rick Warren and Matt Chandler, Malcolm Gladwell and John Wesley.  I also realized that I can listen earnestly to people in my church with very different opinions, as long as when the time for a decision comes, I am able to take the ideas I’ve collected – the ones in line with Scripture and the Holy Spirit’s leading, at least – hold them up to the situation at hand, and then make a decision.

I really hope it goes without saying, but obviously there are some things that aren’t open to circumstantial influence.  These are the things we hold with a closed fist (at the Orchard, they are our Mission and Core Values).  But over the day-to-day life of a church leader, those are rarely things we have to make decisions about.  Thinking Gray works when issues about childcare, meeting logistics, staff responsibilities and programming surface.

And as always, no leadership principle, regardless of how clever-sounding it is, is a substitute for the Spirit’s guidance.  In fact, one of the reasons that I enjoy Thinking Gray is that it forces me to rely on prayer and discernment in everyday moments, not in my ability to pick the right strategy from the beginning and stick to it no matter what.

Seriously.  I had more fun doing this than I had in my whole high school career.

and get my kid a corporate sponsor:

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns “Budweiser” or “Metallica” if they so wish.

For decades, Swedish tax authorities had banned parents from naming their children after fast food chains, rock bands or their favorite brand of beer.

But tax authority spokesman Lars Tegenfeldt says the guidelines have been relaxed. He says “there is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald’s today. In the 1970s, maybe it was.”

Still, authorities are drawing the line at giving children swear words for names. And forget about naming your child God, Allah or Devil.

I can just hear it now: “Exxon Samsung Vanilla Coke Zero Ward….get in here and clean your room!”

Here’s the baby this week.  

It’s changed from “Alien who ruined the Indiana Jones franchise” to “eerily looks like James Carville, complete with similar hand motion.”

Also, it looks as if it’s bungee jumping.

Baby pictures provided by babycenter.com

They also have this crazy picture of twins (!)

Who’s idea was this?

In Tupelo today at the Summit. Been doing it for years now…

www.willowcreek.com/SummitNextSteps

A new blog that I’m loving:

It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It!

They post pictures that should have never made it on real estate listing websites.  In a cooling housing market like this one, you have to wonder what these people were thinking.

Here are a few samples:

Click on the pictures and go to the site to see more and read pithy comments.

1. the baby
2. sarah’s tummy.
3. our excitement.

First, a picture of the baby, at 14 weeks this Monday.  (NOTE: this is not a real picture of the baby, just a dramatic rendering.  Hopefully the real baby will look more like Sarah and less like the aliens that ruined Indiana Jones).

And here are some progressive pictures of the mom-to-be, who has been extra radiant lately:

This week at the Orchard, we are taking up shoes for poor kids in Honduras.  New Vision Ministry out of Batesville has seen many children in that part of the world without shoes.  They are sending a freight shipment for another building project down there and want to include used shoes in it for all of them.  

Our church has taken up several dozen pairs of shoes so far and if you would like to help, please post some contact info in the comment section of this post.

This project got me thinking yesterday.  I was getting ready to announce the shoe drive again on Sunday and I was soon flooded by all of the ways that feet are referenced in the Bible.  It really is interesting.  Here’s a few:

• Jesus washed his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. (John 13)
• John the Baptist says that he isn’t even worthy of untying Jesus’ sandals (Mark 1:7)
• God’s Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Ps. 119:105)
• God’s curse on the serpent includes the promise that “you will strike his heel.” (Gen. 3:15)
• The statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream included a statue with feet of clay. (Daniel 2:33)
• How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. (Isaiah 52:7, Romans 10:15)

There are many more.  If you think of any, feel free to post away.

What does it all mean?  I’ve got some ideas.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE: to hear the sermon I preached on this topic on August 17th, click below:

Streaming

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