"Contemporary" Communication Not a New Thing (2)

Last week I shared some notes from Chuck Fromm, editor of Worship Leader magazine concerning ministry and worship leadership in the 21st century. Among the things he talked about was how modern technology can overwhelm; but it’s not just modern technology that can overwhelm and distract us from experiencing the presence of God in worship. In the feature article Re-centering the House, Fromm also notes: “We need to understand that some of our ‘traditions’ or ‘procedural knowledge,’ often sub-conscious or transparent to us, may be speaking louder than The Text.” (p. 25)

Whether our preference is for a “contemporary” worship style or a “traditional” one (or even what kind of “traditional” or “contemporary”), or certain furnishings, if we allow our preferences to prevent us from encountering God in worship, they are speaking louder than The Text (see John 1), and perhaps have moved our focus off of Him. Anything, even something good, that we place ahead of Him in our lives in fact becomes a type of idol for us. I have them. You have them. The continuing struggle for followers of Christ is to place Christ at the center of what is important and allow Him to govern the rest. Jesus put it this way, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt. 6:33, NIV)

Now, a little humor to balance the serious nature of last week and this:

• I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
• I had amnesia once – or was it twice.
• I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
• Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic.
• All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
• If the world were a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle.
• What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free?
• They told me I was gullible … and I believed them.
• Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.
• Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long.
• Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone.
• What if there were no hypothetical questions?
• The shampoo promised me extra body and I gained three pounds.
• One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people.
• When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a 20 penny nail.
• A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries.
• What was the greatest thing before sliced bread?
• My weight is perfect for my height – which varies.
• I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
• The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
• How can there be self-help "groups”?
• Is there another word for synonym?
• Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all”?
• The speed of time is one second per second.
• Is it possible to be totally partial?
• What's another word for thesaurus?
• Is Lenin's Tomb a communist plot?
• If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain Whales?
• Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
• It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.

That’s enough to think about for now …