Sleep Study? No thanks ... I just had one

When my weight starts heading toward 190 pounds, I tend to snore and display some other sleep apnea symptoms. Sleep apnea has been linked to high blood pressure and other cardiovascular disease, memory problems, weight gain (so you see it can become a vicious circle), headaches, etc. Lack of good, restful sleep also makes one more likely to experience depression (something of particular concern to me). We also learned recently that people with sleep apnea are more likely to develop glaucoma. Because of my father-in-law’s recent loss of eyesight, we are particularly vigilant about that kind of thing.

Since that’s been happening to me recently, I decided that I probably ought to be checked out to see if a CPAP were indicated. I called my doc and had him set me up an appointment for the study, which was done on Monday night. A couple of days after I made the appointment, my episodes decreased. My mood improved, and I was feeling much more energized during the day. The lovely wife was sleeping better, too (surprise, surprise). I’m happy to say that that’s still the case … but since it was only for a few days before the date for my study, I kept the appointment. Maybe something would show up.

Monday evening, I showed up at the Laurens County Hospital and checked myself in for the most uncomfortable night in recent memory. As far as I can remember, here’s how “hooked up” I was:

• two electrodes on my chest to monitor my heart rate,
• two on each leg to check for restless leg syndrome
• bands around my chest and stomach to measure breathing
• one something on my throat to measure volume of snoring
• two on my chin to measure for teeth grinding
• one nasal probe to measure nasal breathing
• a probe underneath that for mouth breathing
• an oxygen sensor taped around my left index finger
• and 8 electrodes glued (yes, glued) to my head for the EEG
  

With all of that junk on me, can you believe that they expected me to sleep? I don’t sleep well when I’m away from the lovely wife anyway. Whether I’m away by myself, or she’s away and I’m home alone, I find it terribly hard to unwind without her. I slept some, but didn’t snore much at all.

I had hoped to be able to discern some spiritual truth from my ordeal. I’m sad to say that I haven’t … yet. If something comes to mind, I’ll let you know. That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.

Eugene Peterson on Worship and Feelings

Yesterday afternoon I made a curiosity peek at the Boar's Head Tavern blog / discussion group. I didn't have a whole lot of time ... only a few minutes, really. I needed a little transition buffer between tasks, and I've heard of the Boar's Head Tavern blog via Michael Spencer's Internet Monk Radio podcast ... so I thought I'd take a look even though I had not the time to really peruse the content. On the header of the main page was a quote from Eugene Peterson that set up a sympathetic vibration in my soul. I purposed to locate it again this morning and add it to my quote library.

Evidently BHT updates header quotes daily, because the same quote wasn't there this morning. I'm pretty good at finding what I'm looking for with a google search, so I googled "Eugene Peterson" and what I could remember from the quote and found it in short order on a blog hosted by Messiah College (where we're probably sending the 2thpik for college in the Fall). More about Messiah on another blog ... maybe. You can click on the title to link to Messiah's Worship Community blog post ... but here's the quote if you don't want to leave my blog. It's from Peterson's book A Long Obedience ... a book I'm now hungry to read.

“If Christians only worshipped when they felt like it, there would be precious little worship that went on. Feelings are important in many areas, but completely unreliable in matters of faith. ...
“Living in the age of sensation, we think that if we don’t feel something, there can be no authenticity in doing it. But the wisdom of God says something different, namely, that we can act ourselves into a new way of feeling much quicker than we can feel ourselves into a new way of acting. Worship is an act which develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God which is expressed in an act of worship. When we obey the command to praise God in worship, our deep, essential need to be in relationship with God is nurtured.”

I love what Peterson says here, although I think it's a little too black and white. I don't think we need to completely ignore the emotional component in worship. I think that there ARE times when what we feel moves us to act in worshipful ways (according the Biblical definitions of worship ... which are not necessarily consistent with our modern/post-modern cultural definitions of worship). But I agree that we are far too prone to look to emotion to make us feel worshipful. Romans 12:1-2 reminds us that worship is not feeling, but action; not something that benefits us, but something that moves us to act in ways that benefit others. I came up with this one on my own:

The chief criterion for evaluating worship is not how it makes me feel while I'm in the service, but how it makes me act once I leave.

That's enough to think about for now.

Robin Mark's take on "The One Thing"

Friday evening, we hosted the world famous Chuck Wagon Gang here. Some of you won’t have a clue who I’m talking about. Long story short, The Chuck Wagon Gang got their start in Texas back in the 1930’s and -40’s as a cowboy-style band on a live radio show sponsored by a flour company. They usually incorporated a Gospel song into each broadcast … and people loved it. Accompanied by a single guitar and singing traditional SATB harmony, the Chuck Wagon Gang outlived the radio show and still sings Gospel concerts today.

Though their style is not really my preferred diet, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening’s performance. They were very professional and did everything extraordinarily well. As I spoke with them before and after, I was impressed with their warmth and genuineness. There was no “put on” and no “concert personality.” They are genuine followers of Christ and they share their joy when they sing. Their fan base seems to be primarily those who are already in the family. The main level of our sanctuary was very full of people who drove from miles and miles around to get here for the concert. Some of them were as enthusiastic as college kids at a Passion worship event.

As I think about that experience, I’m reminded of the following advice from contemporary worship musician Robin Mark.

To thine own self be true – be true to who you are and where you’ve come from. Be true to the culture and musical style that God has developed in your heart through all the unique experiences that you have lived.

Don’t be embarrassed that your style might not be the in thing – who really knows these things? Don’t be fooled into thinking that if only you could emulate someone else’s “happening” style or apparently relevant creativity, you will somehow touch a greater number of people than otherwise.

• • • Be true to yourself and worship.

A couple in my seminary church sang a western-Gospel style music, Jack on lead and Rita on harmony, with him on guitar and her on an upright bass (that was about twice her size). When they sang in worship, it was always done very well, and people connected because it was an honest expression of who they were. Leading in worship is not a time for show or for wishing we were as edgy and “happening” as the big dogs. We bring who we are before God and ask Him to use us to touch others.

That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.

Before the Throne of God Above

I recognize that my Musings of late have been more about sharing the inspiration of others rather than coming up with “new” insights on my own. I hope it’s just a phase. Parenting teenagers makes it easy for me to live a pace that is far too hurried for my own sanity. I do still have occasional flashes of insight … but they usually come when I’m some place where it’s impossible to write things down before they slip away into oblivion.

I’d rather give you good stuff written by others than bad stuff written by me, so let me share a hymn text that has been “rediscovered” by some contemporary artists in the past decade or so. The text is by Charitie Lees Bancroft (1841-1932). Vikki Cook crafted a melody for the text in 1997. Several artists have recorded it since then.

Before the Throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest Whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me

Before Him there the Risen Lamb
My perfect spotless righteousness
The unchangeable I Am
The King of Glory and of Grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased with His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God

I am deeply encouraged about the future of thoughtful worship whenever I find a gem like this amid a sea of trite, over-repeated phraseology set to no melody and a catchy rhythm. That’s enough to think about for now. The peace of Christ to you.

Cartoon truth

The last couple or three weeks I've not succeeded in posting. I have written Musings two out of the last three, but haven't carved out the very few minutes it takes to get them up on the blog. Believe me, if it weren't for the fact that I write an article almost every week for my worship leadership people, I wouldn't really blog that much.

A few weeks ago, my friend Mark Bowers (read his blog at http://markbowers.wordpress.com/) sent me a cartoon that only a Minister of Music can fully understand. The cartoonist is Andy Robertson. Imagine three people standing on what looks to be a pulpit platform looking up at the top right corner of the frame. One is holding a guitar, one a bible (or hymnal), and one a microphone. Out of the radiance in the top right corner come the words:

... and on the 7th day thou shalt clear the platform, check the sound system, replace the broken guitar string, change the microphone battery, select the chorus transparencies, prepare the chord sheets, replace the broken overhead projector lens, tune the piano, attach the new drum heads, lead 2 worship services ... and rest.

Truer words were never spoken.

That's enough to think about for now.