New worship quote

I heard this quote Sunday morning concerning worship and found it to be quite moving in my thoughts about worship. I've just received it from the one who quoted it, so I've not processed it yet. Look for it to show up again this week or next in my Wednesday musings. For now, let it prompt you to think.

"All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and his Son among all the peoples of the earth. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man.... When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever." John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad

the 12-year-old perspective

Watching Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King he opines ...

"Gimli is one of those characters that you just have to sit back and let happen."

Quick wits and puns from a 15-year-old English enthusiast

Happened in my house a few weeks ago:

11-year-old son wrapped in blanket or robe of some kind ceremonially taps unaware 15-year-old son first on one shoulder then the next, then the top of the head (from behind). Does this several times.

Bewildered expression on face of 15-year-old sparks explanation from their Dad (me). "I think he's dubbing you."

"Oh." Perfectly timed pause. "Then why are you still hearing me in English?"

Parenting is really a blast at times.

Interesting poem

Since today's Musings I printed for my rehearsals contained nothing but a couple of cartoons that we have permission from the NewsletterNewsletter to print for the church and probably don't have permission to present in a blog, today I would not ordinarily have anything. But, as Providence would have it, I stumbled on a poem by another blogger that I found quite interesting. We celebrate Communion this Sunday morning, or as we Baptists are wont to call it, The Lord's Supper. Sometimes I take a minute or two to randomly read other blogs. I found a poem on Communion entitled "Table of Mimes" at www.thewhisperings.blogspot.com (May 22nd entry). Worthy theological perspective taking into account the letters of Paul on the subject.

I won't say "Enjoy it," but rather "Allow it to reorient your thinking." Good stuff.

Disappearing Hymnal Re-appeared

OK. Red-faced I admit it was found in the music library in full view on top of a filing cabinet. Likely that I took it in there while researching music for future worship service some time immediately prior to loss of location.

Thanks for listening ... that's all.

English Is Funny

Observation by my elder child (age 15) recently:

Ever notice that tasty means that something tastes good and smelly means that it smells bad?

Disappearing Hymnal

My dated hymnal has disappeared, and I'm frustrated without it.

Let me explain:

Many Ministers of Music keep a hymnal in which they write the date each hymn has been used. It serves as a useful tool to keep us from neglecting some wonderful worship materials while encouraging us not to overuse others. Mine disappeared from my office (or at least disappeared from view) a couple of weeks ago and I have yet to discover its whereabouts. Things can hide in my office fairly easily -- not because it's large, but for other reasons which you can imagine. One of two things is true about the whereabouts of my hymal (I'm making lists lately ... wonder what that means?):

1. I misplaced it somewhere and can't remember what I did with it.
2. Someone needed a hymnal, knew they could find one in my office, and hasn't returned it yet.

If the latter is the case, I hope that the borrower returns it soon. I've been wracking my brain about the former and cannot for the life of me locate the thing. I leave my office unlocked most of the time because anyone who needs resources that I have is welcome to them. I can usually spare what you need from my office ... at least temporarily. I need that dated hymnal ASAP, though, if for no other reason than to set one up in the air matter at rest.

To quote the last phrase of the Swingle Singers' rendition of Arkansas Traveler and other folk songs: "Thanks for listening. That's all."

Needed Solace Found

One of the reasons I’m up front about my struggles with depression in the past is that I think there is a lot of Christians who struggle with it … and then feel guilty about struggling with it (after all, my life is in the hands of the One who made all there is, for crying out loud, why should I feel this way). All that does is to contribute to the perpetuation of the depression. I feel bad, but Christians should be joyful because of Christ, so shame on me. (Is that clear to anyone who has not wrestled with the monster before?) I have been on medication for depression in the past, and I will go on medication again in the future if necessary. Christian biochemist and psychologist Archibald Hart sees the medications available now as a gift from God.

I’ve been wrestling with the monster again recently, and I covet your prayers. At times I feel silly and weak because of it. As I was working this morning, God gave me some solace and encouragement in the form of an old hymn that I then chose to use as the anchor for my part of the Wednesday evening worship time. Good stuff bears repeating even if the language is archaic, so here it is (words by George W. Robinson):

Loved with everlasting love,
Led by grace that love to know;
Gracious Spirit from above,
Thou hast taught me it is so!
O this full and perfect peace!
O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease,
I am His and He is mine.

Heav’n above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green!
Something lives in every hue
Christ-less eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know as now I know,
I am His and He is mine.

Things that once were wild alarms
Cannot now disturb my rest;
Closed in everlasting arms,
Pillowed on the loving breast.
O to lie forever here,
Doubt and care and self resign,
While He whispers in my ear,
I am His and He is mine.

His forever, only His;
Who the Lord and me shall part?
Ah, with what a rest of bliss
Christ can fill the loving heart!
Heav’n and earth may fade and flee,
First-born light in gloom decline;
But while God and I shall be
I am His and He is mine.

I know that a lot of church people don’t want to hear that their leaders struggle. I’m not going tell you that your walk with Christ won’t lead you into areas that are difficult and painful, because following Christ will lead you there … sometimes frequently. But the truth of God is this: though He doesn’t lead me around the valley of the shadow of death, He promises to walk through it with me. That’s enough to think about for now …

Too Hard

Go ahead and deal with it. Today's entry isn't going to be very coherent.

During Willow Creek's Leadership Summit 2005, they presented a drama entitled "Too Hard". The main characters were a pastor ready to throw in the towel and a trusted lay leader he had asked to meet him in a park at lunch. Minor characters were letters of church member critical about various aspects of the ministry of the church. Asked about the file by the trusted layman, the pastor called it "fan mail." Anyone who has been in ministry for very long can identify with the content. I don't know if the drama is available on line ... my pastor has it on DVD (which is where I became acquainted with it).

That drama hit so close to home with what I've been experiencing the past few weeks. It's never enough. To quote a ministry colleague, "Ministry is all-consuming. It never stops taking."

{content removed for personal reasons} Listen: If God has given you the gift of encouragement, please use it liberally. Your church staff needs that more than anything else. We will literally suffocate without it.

{more content removed for fear of unintentionally hurting feelings}

It wasn't the anonymous letter that caused it. I was already "wrestling with the monster" before that happened. Depression is an old acquaintance that I know better than I wish I knew. I'm afraid the monster is trying to come back for another visit. Interesting statistics from the Annuity Board years ago stated that the #1 health insurance claim for ministers' families was maternity. The #2 was mental health. Those stats lead me to surmise that one of the following may be true:

1. ministers are poor self-managers (which I freely admit); or
2. depression is an occupational hazard (statistically defensible);
   or
3. there is a particular sensitivity of heart that causes those who sense a
   call to ministry to be prone to depression; or
4. any or all of the above

Last Tuesday our church prayer team came into my office and prayed for me, which helped tremendously. There are those who say the depression is merely a result of stinkin' thinkin' ... that if you're right with God, you'll never be depressed. These people are at best misinformed, and they do nothing to help those in the middle of a depressive episode to recover. Enough about that. I fear some well-meaning person might engage me in a conversation on the subject that I simply don't have time to maintain.


On the self-management side of things, I listened to a CD interview yesterday featuring Jack Groppel, human performance guru (www.energyforperformance.com) whose perspective on things may be of use to me and others prone to depression. Groppel gave great information on how we were designed to work as humans (and examples of how ministers in particular manage ourselves in ways that make it difficult to get recovery time). The CD is from the Willow Creek Association's Monthly Audio Journal. I understand it's available at www.willowcreek.com ... Catalog number DF0511 in case you're interested. It's kind of rude to cite something like that without giving specific information. My apologies ... it's also murky copyright compliance to post too much information even while citing the source. I've not checked out Groppel's site yet, but glanced at it enough to know that there is a little free inventory that may be of use. [OK, so now I've checked out the site and it's not extremely useful from a "what do I do with this?" standpoint. It just helps codify the need for better self-management.

I'll shut up for now.

Please Allow Me to Clarify

It has come to my attention that some were a little upset with me last week due to a slight misunderstanding of the gist of my Musings. That being the case, it’s obvious that I failed to communicate as clearly as I could have. Let me see if I can clear things up a bit. The following is a re-quote from the last paragraph of last week’s Musings.

+++++++

Rick Warren reminded us at the beginning of his book, “It’s not about you.” It is about God. Do people’s opinions matter? Sure they do … but God has the final word.

+++++++

What I was trying to say is this:

1) It can be hard when people criticize a worship service that has been prayed over and wrestled with throughout the week. Sometimes it seems that when we read “worship service” we assume that we are the ones being served by the choir, the pastor, the soloists … or even served by God. While grace is in essence God doing for us what we are powerless to do ourselves, in worship, it is we who give service to God.

2) Encouraging words are more valuable than gold (my apologies for failing to communicate this accurately). Your ministerial staff cherishes every last one.

3) Sometimes positive responses to worship merely mean that we have pleased the people. Sometimes what pleases the people also pleases God. Sometimes what is required in order for us to please God may not necessarily please the people. It can become difficult to discern whether one is pleasing the people, pleasing God, or both. In worship, God’s pleasure is more important than ours.

That’s enough to think about for now …