Perfect Pitch

A Story of Worship

  Whether it is the off-key voice of the person behind you on Sunday morning, the guitar solo that wasn't so hot, or the muffled sound of the voice from stage singing a song you've never heard before, how do you perceive the noise we call worship? Can you hear the beauty in it's offering, or are you the judge of its ineptitude? Worship has many different styles and even more methods of delivery and presentation. Most people think of music when we talk about worship, with many churches all over the world hiring a guy or gal that we refer to as the worship leader, but do we look at our worship as their job to create and administer the worship time? To manage what is said and done, to direct the church body into a position and realm of worshipful expression. Perhaps for the corporate time together that answer is mostly yes.
  Yet worship is so much more than people getting together to sing songs, whether flashy lights and loud music is your thing, or you pine over the soft and subtle folk sound of acoustic everything, maybe you prefer the realism of no sound system and just enjoy the harmony of voices bringing life back to the hymnal. None of these are wrong, or better than and more pleasing to God than the other. As a former worship leader, and longtime sound engineer, concert producer, and rock singer at heart, I have my tastes for what I like to hear on Saturday night or Sunday morning. But is that all there is to worship? The sights, sounds and endless opinions. I think that we have focused far too much on the style differences and have forgotten, or at least minimized the real purpose and motive of worship.
Worship has a purpose behind it in this world, just as life has been a series of changes and learning experiences, worship isn't something that you master on the first try. Although it's purpose is one of expression, the ultimate reason for it is far beyond this world. As a famous science fiction movie line once said, and I will paraphrase into the realm of worship to make my point, worship surrounds us, it binds us together, it helps us to see through eyes that are not our own. It is the light that we share with one another, an ally when we are alone, and as a little green guy once said, a powerful ally it is. Okay, so enough with the movie thoughts, but they are pretty powerful thoughts when you put them into the real world in which we live. While many of us think that we might enjoy being a movie hero and having special powers, how many of us develop the special powers and gifts promised to us by God through His word? Some of God's gifts would surely seem extra-special if we were to suddenly start healing people with a simple word or touch. Or perhaps healing the emotional issues on the inside that we all seem to suffer through would be an even greater feat. Imagine a church body full of believers that have prayed their way through the hardships of their own ragged lives, a group of people who have learned the full value of grace and forgiveness. People who might even have discovered the destructive power of loveless judgment and conceit, and find no room for it in their group and individual lives. A truly special power that would be.
  Worship without the distractions of failure and doubt, where everyone is valued and the stories of life tell of our undeniable need to ask God to form us into His likeness. Letting the past be the past, and removing the scales from our eyes, the inability to see life and others through the eyes of a loving Father. One who grieves when we are resistant, but One who party's with all of His creation when we come to Him and say, "I need you, I am sorry for making a mess of my life, please take over and guide me in the path that leads me to the heart of your perfect love, help me to hear the voice of that ally which you have sent to be with us. Through your grace and mercy, remake my heart into your heart, and show me the purpose and pathway to true worship". There are many words that you could say and have the same meaning, don't get hung up on the words of your prayer, it is your heart that matters to God. He knows it well, and if you're sincere with Him, the words that you use won't matter.
  Worship to me is far more than a song, or music; it's a state of being. A mindset that we need to use to talk to and visit with God. Before you theologians seek to reprimand me over what biblical purposes are called out for worship; yes, I agree that it is to exalt Him as Lord and as such it is an offering not always a two-way conversation, (at least the Pharisaical friends that I know like to point that out), but I believe if you look at worship as a single directional state of being, then you are missing out on the truly powerful message of the gospel. Jesus was very clear that our relationship with God was a personal one. Not something that could be done by remote or through an intermediary, but through time spent together. Having the knowledge of what each other is thinking and what their plans are. Certainly, we have reverence for God and His position as Lord of lords, over everything earth and sky, but He hugs us through His spirit, comforts us when we're sad, and enjoys every minute that we spend in His presence. As we intertwine our lives with His, we become a bound force, a shared power flows from Him through us, changing our darkened hearts into beacons of light. And though we have our faults and weaknesses, His light and His grace continue to burn through our messy lives, casting light into our shadows and failures.
  Normal three-dimensional thinking just cannot explain this connection that we have with Him. It is definitely difficult to explain to someone that hasn't at least attempted to experience it for themselves. The wonderful and inexplicable part is that He seeks our hearts to be one with His. For us to find a relationship with Him, through our rags and dirty mess of a life, He doesn't seek to judge that; What He does seek to do is celebrate our homecoming, our release back to Him that which He created, us. Worship is surely not about being a great singer, or fabulous guitar player, those people are fun, and I love to hang out with them and hear them use their gifts for praising God and sometimes just entertaining people. It isn't about how big a church building you have, or whether or not you have moving lights in your service. New songs or old hymns, Leslie organ, or keyboards and strings, let those arguments go. That isn't worshiping. It's about your heart? Are you conversing with God and getting to know His heart, or just judging the surroundings when you go to church. Don't wait for service times to worship, if you do, you're missing out on all of the time you could be spending with Him. Worship is every day, small minutes of your time, saying hello and thank you to Him for your blessings that very moment. Talking to Him during the first half of a walk, then listening to Him for the second half. I know that sounds a lot like prayer, maybe it is. The point I want to make is that worship is a lifestyle, a thought process that will help to bind your heart to God's. Maybe it's a prayer of worship and thankfulness: talking, singing, thinking of beautiful things. I look at those times as worship, agreeing with Him that I appreciate His creation and long to be more like He intended me to be. Worship isn't about having perfect pitch and singing like an angel, worship is about using what you have to enter into a relationship with God so that you can recognize His leading and influence in your life. And truly, what could be better than knowing that you have the ear of God when you call to Him and that He is as close as your breath when you need Him most. Off key or not, with my mouth or my hands, I will keep looking for ways to worship Him until I can do it in person.

A Calling Lost

     While going through some old notebooks in my studio, I came across this missive. It was written almost ten years ago, when I was struggling with the loss of my father, and the loss of a ministry lifestyle that was very bold and somewhat notorious in the community. I thought that God had finally planted me where my vision of using my gifts was going to be up to my expectations. Notice all of the "my" in that last sentence? While we did have a dynamic time of local ministry, and were used to accomplish some great and fun things, God had plans for us to grow and be used in other ways; plans that were not stagnant, and certainly not on our radar. In the years since that time, my friends and I have suffered tragedy, sickness, and change beyond our comprehension. The good news is this, through all of the hurt and struggle, God has been shaping us to His form. There have been great and wondrous times where I have grown to do things that I never considered possible. My calling swerved from sound engineer/producer and background singer, to worship leader then from worship leader to writer, speaker and author.

  What I want you to see by sharing my thoughts from years ago is this; you are made by God with a purpose. He has a plan to use you to affect the lives of others, but be aware of this, the needs of the kingdom of God change with the flow of time. The opportunity to serve God is never dull or monotonous, your calling is a journey through life's maze. It's something that needs shaping and experience, that's where life's trials and triumphs come in. Don't loose your direction, look for ways to renew it, change it, shape it into something that gives you meaning and relevance towards sharing God's love and grace. Callings aren't lost, they are abandoned. Don't walk away from yours, I promise that God has a purpose and a plan to use your life, every good and bad thing in it, to change a life of someone in need. The following was a time of just such transition for me...

  I was thinking lately that even people that we consider 'big time' in the ministry can lose their way, or worse decide it's just not for them anymore. It surprised me to read that the lead singer of a 1980's Christian rock super-group is now selling real estate. Once thought of as a premier voice in the industry, he isn't really singing or performing much at all these days. It's not that he had vocal issues, or the band ran out of material, he said that he just grew tired of the grind that touring had become. A close friend of mine, whom I consider to be one of the best public speakers and Christian teachers alive today, shared with me that he isn't really preaching at all anymore. He has other duties in his new church, administrative and financial responsibilities that govern the church, and really leave little time to think about sermons and sharing publicly. There is also our band, Last Second Chance. We have spent countless hours together writing, producing and recording music to share the gospel; we haven't sang together in months, and have no plans to play, write or lead worship together in the near future. What happens to us that makes us forget the importance of our calling? Certainly there was a lot of fire burning within us at one time. Is it burned out? Did we push so hard to get going that now we are too weak to sustain our passion? Or does the passion that we have, over time and spent energy,  just diminished on its own? A sort of natural leveling out of enthusiasm. Whatever the reason, the outcome seems the same, we retire ourselves from God's mission in our lives. Is that in His plan? Is He simply just done with us? This can hardly be the case! In many phases of life things change, priorities change, our needs wants and desires change. Sometimes our abilities change, but should this be a sign of dismissal to us? Positively not.. It should trigger us to think, "How can I change or adapt myself to stay relevant and effective". I hear those words and wonder why I cannot apply what I just wrote to my own life. Maybe it's all just about timing, God's timing not ours. Maybe, it's about ego, ours not His. Perhaps our biggest fault in ministry is thinking to ourselves "look what a great job I'm doing". Thinking that our plan is better than waiting on God's is never a good idea.

  Lets get back to basics for a thought or two, shall we. We all have gifts, you may know for certain what yours are. Some of of you may still be searching. Others of us search for fresh and new gifts and callings as we feel the old ones become less effective or needed. But the fact is, God has always known what your gifts were. He put them there after all and His intent is for us to let Him use them through us. So does it sound like something he would have us do for a short time and then quit or retire? Doesn't it seem a bit unreasonable that God would prepare, protect, and then deliver us into His time and place of meeting people where they have a need, only to have us throw in the towel after we get tired or worn? Could the purpose of God's plan, planting us into a special opportunity to share an experience through words or song, be that we are especially forgiven through grace, to be a credible witness for what He has done in our own life? All of my past and yours made you and I uniquely qualified to use the special talents that he has given to us in order to reach the hurting and make a difference in the lives of others. There is no retirement from giving yourself fully to Christ; there is however a renewal and seeking in Him, a path that keeps us vigorous and effective. Our calling allows us to joyfully and tirelessly share the good news of Jesus. Change is one of the few consistent things about living. It is certain to happen. How we respond to change will set the bar for our usefulness as a tool for God. How are you responding to the 'change' in your life. Are you finding more ways to share Jesus with the gifts that you have? Or are you more like me, you're wondering why God has put you on hold? After a little thought.. Has God really put us on hold? Or did we hang up on him... I think now would be a good time to pray and call Him back..