Where in the world is.....Albania?

Last year at this time, I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about the country of Albania. What a difference a year makes.

Last fall, I was invited to co-lead a discovery trip of Valor Christian High School students to Albania by one of my colleagues. Discovery trips are the short-term mission trips that Valor encourages its students to participate in. I think it is one of the remarkable distinctives of the school. This year, between spring break trips and summer trips, we will be sending nearly half of our 840 students on a discovery trip somewhere in the world! Our mission statement is "To Prepare Tomorrow's Leaders to Influence Their World for Christ." The Discovery program achieves this goal better than any other aspect of their education with our school.

After thinking and praying about it with my wife Denise, we both agreed to be trip leaders for a spring break trip to Albania. This was designed to be an Arts focused trip, and so the team we handpicked to go consisted of students with specific and proven abilities in the areas of dance, drama and music. We ended up with a team of 23 students and 5 adults.

Albania is a fascinating country. When communism came into power throughout eastern Europe, Albania embraced it as well, and became famous for being the most atheistic and closed country on the planet. Christianity was all but stamped out there. With the fall of communism in 1992, Albania opened its doors to the rest of the world for the first time in decades. Campus Crusade for Christ was among the first to move in with the gospel, and has done a remarkable work in evangelizing and discipling the young people of Albania ever since. Albania is a country with a deep love for America and the American culture, in spite of being 70% muslim.

The 10 days we spent in that country were some of the best ministry of our lives. Our partnership with Campus Crusade for Christ was part of their three week evangelistic campaign with high school and college students. Our students were able to participate alongside of the Campus Crusade staff in a variety of outreach opportunities. They performed three concerts in public venues, visited and performed at six different schools, performed with Albanian young musicians several times, performed on the streets and in a Roma gypsy community, and led worship for a church on Easter Sunday. But the greatest and most meaningful ministry they had was in participating with discussion groups throughout the week, meeting and sharing their faith with Albanian young people who are open to the gospel and wanting answers to the meaning of life. None of us wanted to leave when it was time to return to the USA.

We were told to expect spiritual fruit there, but we had no idea the spiritual harvest that would come as a result of our partnership in ministry with Campus Crusade. By the end of the three weeks, they had 162 who publicly accepted Christ as their personal Savior, out of approximately 900 students that were ministered to in one way or another! Some of our students were present to see some of these decisions in their discussion groups.

We all fell in love with Albania, with the Campus Crusade leaders and staff, and with the people of this delightful country. Thanks be to God for allowing us to minister in His Name on the other side of the world.

Oh, and to answer the opening question: Albania is located directly above Greece and across the sea from Italy.

A Man and His Sign

I went to a Colorado Rockies baseball game two nights ago. My son is home for the summer, and my wife and I wanted to take him to a game before he heads back to the east coast to begin a new job there.

I wasn't expecting a great game. The Rockies were playing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are a good team. The Rockies are not a good team this year. As it turns out, it was an interesting game. The weather was threatening all game, and even caused a rain delay at the beginning of the 9th inning. We ended up winning the game in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the 9th inning.

But the most impactful thing actually happened on the way to the game. As we were walking towards the stadium, we were caught at a red light along with a crowd of other Rockies supporters. As we waited for the light to turn green, I noticed a small, elderly man standing in front of the crowd, holding a hand-made sign. As soon as the crowd began to gather, he went into action. Holding his sign up high, he began quoting scriptures at the top of his voice. "Ye must be born again." "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, you will be saved." "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever refuses to believe is damned." He spent about a minute proclaiming the future judgement and the need of a Savior. When the light changed, he lowered his sign and stopped his preaching.

I was watching him the entire time. He wasn't eloquent. He wasn't well dressed. His sign was crude and a bit hard to read. But I was rivetted. He boldly proclaimed the truth of Christianity in front of dozens of people. And I was glad that we have a country still where a guy like him can witness of his faith in public without fear of being arrested or put in jail.

I wondered how the crowd would respond to him. I thought they would be mocking him almost right away. A crowd like that, there were plenty of people already drunk, already talking loudly, probably ready to put down a guy like him. I was surprised, though. The talking got quieter, some even listened to him, but no-one gave him a hard time. No-one.

As I passed him, I put a hand on his shoulder and told him "Amen, brother. I'm a believer too." I wanted to encourage him in what he was doing. I hoped that brief encounter would let him know he was not alone. I wanted him to not give up in proclaiming the good news.

Then I thought: would I do that? Would I stand outside Coors Field with a sign, preaching to wave after wave of sports fans as they arrived at the stadium? Would I be that bold? Willing to risk being heckled or harassed for what I was saying? Even perhaps physically jostled or attacked? Arrested? I was reminded that the Apostle Paul was horribly mistreated for his bold witness for Christ.

I felt like I had seen an example of the Apostle Paul there on the corner of Blake Street in downtown Denver. And I was convicted by his bold witness. Shamed that I have never taken that bold a step for my Savior. Wondering why he was doing that when I had never even thought of doing something that radical for Christ.

Two days ago, I found a new hero. Someone who inspired me to be more intentional, more bold, more outspoken, in speaking the truth of the gospel to others. I hope his example changes me. I want to change. I want to make a difference in people's lives. To be a witness for Christ. God, please help me to be that kind of witness for my Jesus.

B.C. and A.D. redefined

I would like to borrow these two well-known and defining acronyms from history to help in processing what is happening in our family right now. The defining date for us that separates these two is January 25th, 2012. That is the date my daughter Stephanie found out she has cancer.

So for me, B.C. stands for Before Cancer, and A.D. stands for After Diagnosis. When Stephanie continued to have unexplained medical symptoms over the course of this past year, she would not accept doctors who told her she needed more rest, or should take more vitamin D. She continued to seek out further medical testing and I thank God she did. After a PAP smear finally showed the presence of cervical cancer, there was relief over finally having a correct diagnosis. Now she knew what it was, she could begin a process to "fix" it.

But our A.D. has been anything but smooth. Every time there has been further news from the doctors, it has been worse news. From cervical cancer, with surgery as the solution, we went to metastasized cancer, with at least one lymph node infected by the cancer. From there, we have had biopsy results reveal the cancer is a rare and aggressive cancer, resistive to treatment, called endocrine-neuro cancer, which requires basically throwing everything at it to try and get rid of it - chemotherapy and radiation, right away, and over the course of the next 6 months.  

Our A.D. world has been completely redefined by her cancer. Nothing is the same.
So many things that were important before her diagnosis have become so much less important now. Our jobs. Getting our home ready to sell. Keeping up with the laundry. Going to the gym each morning. Eating regular meals.

Our priorities have completely shifted. Now, these are the things that are important to us: Taking care of her and her husband's needs. Finding out as much as possible about her cancer and the treatment regiment needed. Organizing meals. Getting her to the hospital, to doctors appointments. We want to be sure we are there for her at every turn.

Through it all, we have drawn even closer to God and to our faith in His ultimate goodness in our lives. His Word has become our daily sustenance. Prayer has become a way of life. The encouragement of others who have stepped forward to walk this path with us has become as precious as gold to us.

God has ministered to us in our pain, in our uncertainty, in powerful ways. He is our strength, our comfort, our rock. He is working good...always! The story Stephanie is telling through her blog, derailingmydiagnosis.wordpress.com, is being followed by hundreds of people already. Her journey of faith has gone viral, reaching to people all over our nation, all over the world!

We don't know what the future holds. The road will be long and difficult. But we are learning so much, and there is so much more to learn. Lessons from the caring hand of our loving Heavenly Father.

Speak, Lord. You have our attention.    

Worship in a museum

Last Sunday afternoon, I found myself in the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York City. I was there chaperoning a group of students from Valor Christian High School, the school where I teach. We were there over the school's fall break. After establishing a time and location for meeting back up, I sent the students out in groups of 2 or more, and found myself alone, free to do whatever I wanted to do with the next hour and a half.

Where should I go? What did I want to see? I folded open the map guide to the museum and looked it over. Other than the musical instruments room, nothing particularly caught my fancy.

It was then I had an impulsive idea. Why not try to find all of the pieces of art that depicted Jesus Christ, especially those that depicted Him either on the cross or following His crucifixion? With nothing more than that as my goal, I got my camera out and began to slowly meander my way through the various exhibit halls. If it didn't deal with the subject of Christ's life here on earth, I didn't give it a second glance.

This was a treasure hunt that brought me riches beyond what I could have imagined. I found marble statues, silver-stamped processional pieces, inlaid wooden scenes, stained glass panels and, of course, numerous paintings, both large and small. Each one brought me to a stop, and I found myself quietly meditating on each piece of art. And I worshiped.

I was impressed at the commitment it took for each artist to fashion their art; with the hours (and days, weeks...months!) it took them to complete their masterpieces. I marveled at the skill and giftedness required to present the Savior within the context of their own personal and creative viewpoints and using their choice of artistic mediums. I wondered what they were trying to communicate about their own spiritual journeys and faith. And I worshiped.

I finally entered a hall where I was immediately drawn across the room by a painting. It was by Manet, and it depicted the crucified Jesus, now down from the cross, dead, and with two angels near Him. As I sat down in front of it, I began to notice some of the unique perspective the artist had in painting the scene. Jesus body is laying face on to the viewer - the first time I have ever seen this positioning of His body. It allowed for a complete detailing of his crucifixion wounds, from his nail-pierced feet to his wounded side. And I worshiped.

I then looked at His face. It was unlike any other depiction of Christ I have ever seen. His features were...well, they were not those of a handsome man. He looked ugly. His hair was dishevelled, his beard spotty and unkempt, his cheeks sunken, his bone structure angular and disproportional. And then the verse came to me: "There was nothing attractive about him, nothing to cause us to take a second look. He was looked down on and passed over, a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand. One look at him, and people turned away" (Isaiah 53:2). Manet's depiction of my Savior's appearance brought home to me the humility of God in taking on human form to die for me. And I worshiped.

Right there. In the middle of the museum. On a bench. In front of a painting I had never seen before. Painted by someone I do not know. Someone who, as he used his paints, canvas and brushes, had no idea the impact his work would make on a man so many years later. A man who happened upon his painting in a room nearly 150 years later and thousands of miles away from where it was created.

I worshiped my Savior last Sunday. In a museum.

Dancing in the Mine Fields

I can't claim the title I am using for this blog. It is the title of a song by Christian troubador, Andrew Peterson. His music is always thoughtful, well-crafted and creative. It's a song written in tribute to his marriage, and describes the all-out commitment marriage requires in a beautiful and poetic way. Sermons could be preached, seminars led, using nothing more than the text of this song.

Maybe it has invaded my thinking because, in a week's time, I will be giving away the third of my four daughters. At any rate, here are some of the profound takeaways for me from his song:

1. Marriage is not just a beginning, but also an end.
While we frequently focus on the new relationship between the two getting married, celebrating the new union with all of its promise, marriage also represents the end, or death, of their lives as single people. No longer should their focus be on themselves; singlehood breeds narcissism, but marriage necessitates self-sacrifice and selflessness. Along with the vow "I Do," and all that it encompasses, is also a list of "I Don'ts" in terms of how we are to lay our lives down for our life mates.

2. Marriage is a risky venture.
The song title reveals that it is a dangerous thing to entering into a mutual and life-long marriage. There are many pitfalls (mines) that can destroy a marriage. We know this to be true. When one of every two marriages end in divorce, it can safely be assumed that marriage is a fragile thing. There is a reason why so many vows include references to sticking it out regardless of difficult circumstances that may arise: in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, etc. At my niece's recent wedding, I was impressed that they included in their vows this phrase: "I will never divorce you."  

3. Marriage is idealistic.
The love passage, I Corinthians 13, says that love believes all things and is quick to forgive. Never let anyone try to burst the bubble of optimism with which you start marriage as a young person. In the song, Andrew describes that he and his wife were considered too young and nieve when they began their marriage. Even so, he is celebrating 15 years of marriage as he writes his song. The fact that marriage is God's idea, His plan, is reason for great optimism.

4. Marriage is meant to be enjoyed. 
I love the picture of a couple dancing. My wife loves to dance. Her idea of a great date is for the two of us to go out dancing. She could dance for hours. There is something magical about dancing with your wife or husband. It is free and uninhibited. It is a courtship. The rest of the room disappears as you enjoy each other in the dance. Dancing is a picture of all the other ways a couple can enjoy the journey through life with each other. So go on: dance!

So go get the song on itunes. "Dancing in the Mine Fields" by Andrew Peterson. And if you have begun to lower your expectations for marriage, particularly your own, I encourage you to begin believing the best about marriage!

An American Myth - Worship Leaders need to be young, guitar-toting rockers with cool hair and tight jeans.

I just heard of yet another friend of mine who was asked to leave his position as worship pastor at a church where he had served for many years. That makes four of my contemporaries in the last year or so, all of whom were told the church is "going in a different direction." What do each of them have in common? They all recently turned 50 years old. And now, they are all looking for work, and finding it hard to find. They are all questioning whether they have a place in the church at this stage of their lives or if they are all washed up.

What causes a church to make such a decision? I can tell you what it wasn't. It wasn't moral failure, lack of excellence, character issues or spiritual shallowness on the part of any of these men. Each of them are excellent musicians who love the Lord and His church, and have dedicated their lives to serving Him with their musical gifts.

So what was it that brought their ministries to an end? Each of these churches have bought into a new philosophy of worship that has been sweeping across churches in America. To attract more young people, they have concluded they need to emulate what they see at the trendy, successful mega-churches: they need a young, guitar-toting rocker with cool hair and tight jeans to lead their worship. They believe that, for their churches to really grow, they need a worship make-over. And so it is out with the old, in with the new.

What these churches fail to recognize is that their gain is also their loss. They trade the known for the unknown, thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. They trade a worship veteran for an inexperienced and often ego-driven youngster. They trade someone with a life time commitment for someone looking for the next step up the success ladder. They trade someone with a proven ministry mindset for someone who frequently doesn't understand what being a pastor really means. They trade a mentor for someone who needs to be mentored.

The only other church ministry position where being older means being obsolete is the area of youth ministry. That has been true for quite some time, and almost universally so, although I have seen a growing number of youth pastors who are surviving (and thriving) into their grandparenting years. I applaud this for many reasons, first and foremost because with their increased age, these men have now parented their own children through the teenage and young adult years. That gives them real-life experience no twenty year old can bring to the spiritual care of teenagers.

Running after the latest trend in worship reveals the heart of a church's worship philosophy. Remaking worship in order to target the younger generation seems like a good idea on the surface. After all, what church wants to fall behind in terms of staying relevant? And if younger people aren't coming, or are visiting but not returning, and then blame the worship, doesn't that warrant the change? 

I don't think so. To focus on one generation is to neglect the others, and that just doesn't describe how the Bible views the Body of Christ. Our love and care for one another is what will draw people to the Kingdom. We are described as having many parts yet all are valuable and useful. Which is why I believe so strongly that the best model for worship is an inclusive, multi-generational approach. One where grandparents and grandchildren are both able to worship together in the same room, learning and growing as they see how the other's worship language and needs are being met.

I believe a multi-generational worship approach can be achieved by a worship leader of any age as long as he understands that worship needs to include a variety of generational preferences, is willing to stay current with a part of the worship  being offered, and is willing to share his worship leadership with others of different (usually younger) generations. It also requires the complete support of church leadership, including the senior pastor. Another must is regular, consistent, and intentional teaching about worship so that the church's worshipers don't fall into a consumerism, me-centered mentality.

The damage caused by tossing out an older worship pastor and pursuing a younger one just to follow a trend is something I believe God will hold church leadership responsible for. The Church is not the business world, where change for change sake is often quite acceptable, and where phasing out older workers for younger ones helps save money on salaries. This is the Body of Christ, where every member is of value. Including fifty-year-old worship leaders.   

Do you dare to ask God to speak to you?

My wife and I have been on an interesting journey this past year. After leaving the church ministry last May where I had been serving as Worship Pastor and Musical Director for eight years, I found myself in an unfamiliar place: being without a church home, and beginning a journey to find a new church.

This was unprecedented for me, because I had always been on staff as Music Director at every church I attended - employed by the church I attended. After all, you kind of have to attend the church that is paying you to be there to lead their musical program!

We have not been in any hurry. There was some burnout, more than I realized, after having been in church work for over twenty years. In fact, now that I am teaching, this past Christmas season was eye-opening to me. Our family was together for the holiday, free of the pressures of church programs and services, and actually all at home on Christmas Eve together. Weekends have been restorative as well, without the weekly pressures of preparing and presenting multiple services full of music.

Nevertheless, the desire to worship with other Christ-followers, to be taught God's Word, and to be in community with other believers, has remained, and even grown over time.

Finding a church to call home is hard! As my wife and I have visited various churches, we have discovered that our list of things we desire in a church has come into sharper focus. Having come from a large church situation, you might be surprised at what we are looking for; then again, you might not be surprised at all.

1. Authentic, deep, caring, real-world relationships and community
2. Small scale programming and building facilities
3. A focus on reaching out to the community in real-life acts of service
4. A flexible approach to church that allows for the Spirit to intervene with what has been planned and prepared with His agenda and purposes
5. A dependency on God that is revealed by the leadership being humble and teachable
6. Worship that is emotionally moving, overwhelmingly about God and definitely not about the "performance"
7. Teaching that is Biblical yet consistently applied to life

It has taken us nearly an entire year to find a church that we believe fulfills these requirements. It is a church plant, barely a year old, that meets in a hotel ballroom each week. It is a young church demographically; we are among the old ones there. They don't have everything figured out, but their authentic desire to follow Jesus and share Him with their world shows in everything they do.

Last Sunday was not unusual, even though it was Easter Sunday. There were technical difficulties, and parking problems, and church did not start on time. But as I walked into the building, I asked God to speak to me through the worship and the message, and did He ever!

I found tears streaming down my face as I worshiped God. The words of the modern praise music ministered to me, revealing who God is to me, and causing my soul to respond with unhindered thanksgiving and praise. The message was genuine, and clearly the result of time spent with God and His Word. I was challenged to go deeper, to meditate on the truths shared, as I wrote down key points in my I-phone notes app.

As we left, I had an opportunity to thank the pastor for His message. His response was to thank me for being there, and to share that He could probably learn a lot from me and from my years of church experience. A humble leader.

On the walk to the car, I told my wife that God had impressed on me that morning that this was where we should attend church. Her response? I thought God was telling me the very same thing today! A wonderfully confirming moment, seeing God tell us both the same thing independently of each other.

I do firmly believe that God will speak to someone if they ask Him to do so. An open mind, an open heart, and open hands, all give Him the opportunity to lead us in the right direction as we seek to follow Him. It's a great place to be!   

Family Tragedy

On Sunday night, February 6, at around midnight, my 22 year old nephew, Titus, committed suicide. I am still trying to comprehend his decision. Still trying to process how his decision has affected me and my family.

Titus had every reason to live. He had just bought his first home last year. He had a growing landscaping business. His relationship with his family was close and loving. His faith in God was strong, his believe in his Savior Jesus Christ unwavering. Titus was a big, athletic, positive, friendly, likable young man.

He left a video, taped just minutes before he took his life. In it, he describes very matter-of-factedly what he is going to do, but never gives a reason why. He apologizes to his family for the hurt and pain his action will cause them. He describes how good his life is. He says he knows if he had called any of his family, they would have talked with him, prayed with him, and talked him out of his plan to end his life.

So what happened? We may never know. He had a bumpy relationship with his girlfriend, having broken up with her more than once. They had been talking and texting for the couple of hours before he ended his life. It seems certain to me that she knows something, but she isn't saying anything. But even so, this was his own decision, his own action. Nobody else held the gun to his head that night; he did.

His death rocked our family. They came from all over the country for his funeral, at great expense in many cases. Why? Because we needed to grieve together. To process what he did as best we could, while looking into each other's eyes. While holding onto each other.

I know that Titus is in heaven. His faith and trust in Jesus Christ as his personal Savior was certain. I also know that God numbers all of our days, and that His number for Titus was unchanged by his suicide. From my human perspective, his shortened life seems like such a waste, such a tragedy, but I can't see all that God sees. "All things work together for good for those who love God" is still in the Bible. I may never know more than a fraction of the good that will come from Titus's death, but I know it will come. I'm already getting glimpses.

There were 500 people at Titus's funeral. The officiating pastor gave a clear presentation of the gospel, and gave people the opportunity to receive Christ, or take home further reading materials, or contact area churches. I know of one person who received Christ in the service, and nearly all of the materials made available were gone by the end of the day. "All things work together for good."

My youngest daughter has begun to make her relationship with God a much higher priority. She has resumed a Bible study with her sister, has recommitted to attending church and a Young Life group on her college campus, and has a new and strong burden for her unsaved boyfriend to come to Christ. "All things work together for good."

I look forward to seeing more fruit produced out of this tragedy. I have no doubt that more good will come from this "bad." God is just that kind of a God. He has proven it to be true over and over again in my life.

Oh - and I look forward to being reunited with Titus in heaven some day. That's where this story really ends!   

Reading Through The Bible

I am reading through the Bible this year, 2011. It's not because I made a new year's resolution. In fact, I started several days after the start of the new year. I guess I'm not really sure why I started to do this again this year.

You see, I have done this before. It has always been a tough but important assignment. But this year I am trying a new reading system that involves two readings in the Old Testament and two readings in the New Testament. It began with Genesis 1, Ezra 1, Matthew 1 and Acts 1.

It has been a refreshing and rewarding approach.

As I have read about the beginnings of the world and of the church, and as I have witnessed the birth of the Savior and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, I have been surprised at the broad and common themes seen in all four divergent texts. All have pointed to God's holiness and anger towards sin mixed with and so often overcome by His gracious mercy shown to a fallen people. I have seen the importance of obedience to God's will for people who lived thousands of years apart. I have marveled at the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, as He has purposefully reached into our world in so many significant ways.

It has helped me grasp the reality of our timeless God with greater clarity than ever before. And produced a heart full of overwhelmed gratitude that He has touched my life with His presence and mercy as well.

Thank you, God, for who You are and for what You have done. For Abraham, for Nehemiah, for Peter, for Paul.....and for me!

I'm looking forward to seeing more of God's Word revealed to me by His Spirit as this year continues.

Have a "Mary" Christmas

As I sit here this Christmas morning with a cup of coffee in my hand and with the house still quiet, I am reminded of a devotional I heard someone give last Christmas that is still impacting me a year later.

The devotional was about the familiar story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42. Jesus is visiting them in their home, and while Martha is busy in the kitchen preparing a meal for their guest, her sister Mary is doing nothing except sitting near Jesus listening to everything He has to say. Martha comes to the Lord and complains about her sister, asking Him to tell Mary to get busy and help her sister with all the work.

Jesus' answer must have surprised Martha. He tells her, "you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it - it's the main course, and won't be taken away from her." (The Message)

What was His point? He was telling her the better thing is to be sitting quietly and just being in His presence, not working away on things that don't really matter, even if they are being done for Him. He was saying to her (and to us) that we can be so busy doing "important things" that we miss the whole point of Jesus presence with us - that of responding to our Emmanuel ("God with us") by worshiping Him and listening to His voice.

I saw Billy Graham being interviewed on a television show earlier this week. He was asked what advice he would give to pastors who are just beginning their ministries. His answer? Be sure to make reading and studying the Bible and prayer your highest priorities. Not building the church, gaining more converts, setting good ministry plans, being culturally relevant - just focusing on Bible study and prayer. I think that is good advice for all of us.

So, I wish, for me and for you, to be more like Mary than Martha. To pursue our relationship with our Savior above all other things. "Mary" Christmas, everyone!  

United Airlines "Comfort Pet" Policy is bizarre!

Okay - time for a departure from the usual content of my blog entries. This one is a true story you may find hard to believe.

Last week, I was on a flight from Denver to LAX. Before I boarded, I noticed a young lady in her twenties with a large pit bull in the waiting area. She had it on a leash, and there was no crate for it in sight. When I boarded the plane, I made my way to my place, which was my usual aisle seat. After I settled in, here came the young lady, down the aisle, still with her pit bull on a leash. Sure enough, she ended up seated at the window of my row, with this big dog in the seat next to me. At this point, I thought this was certainly unusual. I had seen people on planes before with small dogs or cats. and always in pet carriers, but never a dog this size!

Then a young man came down the aisle and located his seat, which was....the middle seat between me and the window girl and her dog! That is when I decided to consult the flight attendant at the back of the plane. It couldn't possibly be okay to have a full row with three people PLUS a large uncontained dog. Her response? With United, passengers are allowed to have a "comfort pet" accompany them on a plane, no matter what the size of the animal. She even said if someone brought a pet as large as a pony on board, they would have to try to make it work!

The flight attendants did find a seat for the poor guy in the middle seat up in economy plus, but that just meant I had this large dog in the seat next to me. The dog was well behaved the entire time, but I wondered what would happen if a dog with a difficult or territorial disposition ended up on a plane. As I left, I noticed the dog had left large quantities of dog hair all over the seats of that row, and wondered how the cleaning crew would handle that.

Is it just me, or is that a ridiculous policy for United Airlines to have regarding pets on their flights?

If we took a break from emotionally-existential, hyper-individualized, overly-romanticized worship songs, would we have much left to sing?

Glenn Packiam posted this question via Twitter on his facebook page recently. Glenn has been a leading and influential voice in the world of evangelical worship music, and has been a member of the worship and leadership staff at New Life Church in Colorado Springs. It sparked a lot of discussion on his Facebook page, as you might imagine!
It reminded me of Bob Kauflin's approach to finding good worship music. At a songwriting conference I attended a couple of years ago, he said that he always reads through the lyrics before he listens to even one note of the musical setting. It keeps him from picking a song based solely on a catchy tune or interesting harmonic structure. I admire that! How many of us would have the guts to use that filter?
As a songwriter, I have always begun with my lyrics, so that I know I am saying something important before I set it to music. I'm not saying that is the only way to songwrite, but it does help act as a guard for me against letting the musical setting drive what is being sung, and risking the tail (music)wagging the dog (lyrics).
This is not to say the musical setting is not important, or even vital, to the effective communication of a song. A memorable melody line, an unusual chord progression, or an interesting rhythmic bed can all be important contributers to a song that people will respond to. The right musical setting can make a song work great; the wrong musical setting can ruin it. We are songwriters, not just poets.
I think Glenn's question is worth asking, and perhaps asking fairly frequently, as we assess our worship. Let's stay away from the shallow part of the worship pool, and choose to instead dive into the deep end!
    

Refrigerator Rights

My wife and I have hosted a small group in our home for the past 7 years. The four other couples in the group have become some of our dearest friends in the world. We have shared a lot of life together. Relationship challenges, concerns about our children, financial and health crises. When difficult circumstances have touched a member of the group, we have cared for each other with loving concern and prayers. When successes have come, these are the people we have wanted to celebrate with.
Knowing others intimately, and being known equally well in return, fulfills a deep need we all have to belong. To be in deeply satisfying relationships. Life is so much better when it is shared.
Our group adopted a term some time ago. I don't know where it came from. I am sure it is not original to us. We call it having "refrigerator rights." What does that mean? It means you don't have to ask if you want to get something out of the refrigerator when at the home of one of the other couples. You can help yourself. Anytime. You have "refrigerator rights."
But the term "refrigerator rights" goes much deeper than just saying we can grab a can of soda or a bottle of catsup anytime we want. It speaks of how truly "at home" we are with each other. That we are so comfortable with each other, we really are just like family.
Who has "refrigerator rights" in your life? 

Why can't we all get along when it comes to worship?

Worship wars. We have all heard about this - folks drawing lines in the sand about what music should and shouldn't be like in the church. The perspective that "you are either with us, or against us." If you have experienced this battle in your church, you know that, just like in a real war, there are casualties. People who leave a church over music. At its worst, church splits. And if you haven't experienced this battle yet, buckle up. It will likely only be a matter of time before you do. It's like a virus, a silent church killer, moving and spreading from one church to another seemingly at will. Our enemy must  be delighted at how effective this can be in destroying churches.

This war can take many forms. It can pit the older against the younger. Those who want the organ against those who want a band. Those who want hymns against those who want to hear what is currently on the radio. Those who want a choir against those who think a choir is completely out of date. Those who want a lot of media used with those who want to keep things simple and unadorned. Those who prefer loud and exciting with those who want quiet and reflective. And the list of debatable issues goes on and on.

The reality is that we all have our own personal tastes when it comes to music. Stuff we like, and stuff we don't. In the same congregation you are likely to find someone with season tickets to the symphony, and someone else who goes country line dancing every Friday night; someone whose idea of a good date is sitting in a jazz club, and someone else who knows every word in the latest rap music offering on itunes.

For a religion where "they will know we are Christians by our love" the topic of worship is our least convincing argument. Our conflicts over worship destroy any belief that we are successfully living in unity or practicing what we preach. It's no wonder we are so often called hypocrites by those outside the church. Music can provide enough damaging proof all by itself, without needing to go into any doctrinal debates or denominational differences.

I have seen church after church struggle to find a solution to our varied tastes in music. I have been a part of many discussions on this topic as I have served as worship pastor in large churches scattered across the United States. Trying to figure out what will work best. What will offend the least number of people. We have taken congregational surveys that have left us tied in knots trying to find common ground among all of the opinions expressed.

All of which has brought me to the following point of view. The Church, the Body of Christ, is best served by two guiding principles when it comes to worship:

First, let's make it about God, not about us. "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength." It's not about us! We have an audience of one when we worship, so let's focus on honoring Him with our praise. Even if the form being used is not our personal style preference. The God who showed his wide ranging creative ability in fashioning the world we enjoy surely also has a wide range of what He considers appropriate expressions of worship. While we all have our preferred ways to worship, with styles we enjoy, why not look to expand our repertoire of worship before the God of this universe? He's big enough to receive it all. In fact, He is far more concerned with what is going on in our hearts than with the form or style of worship being used. So let's have hearts full of praise, focused completely on Him and able to use a wide range of styles, even the ones that stretch us.

Second, let's prefer one another rather than ourselves. "Love others as you love yourself." Guess what? It's not about you! What if we looked for ways others can express themselves in worship, even when it's not what we are comfortable with. Let's be spiritually delighted when we see another Christian able to praise God using a musical style that we find hard to accept. That change in attitude might draw us closer to each other and increase the common ground we have in worship. The movement to have various services with divergent worship styles all being offered at the same church causes consumerism, division and actually does nothing to foster unity as a church. How much finer would it be to see grandparents, parents, children and grandchildren, all worshiping God together in the same room, appreciating and understanding when the worship ministers to others better than themselves, and yet still able to enter into the worship experience themselves, despite all its varied forms.

With these two principles applied to worship settings, I believe it is possible for all of us to get along when it comes to worship!

The Value of Small Groups

I believe in small groups.

Nearly ten years ago, my senior pastor asked me if I had any accountability relationships with other men. I responded that I did not. He encouraged me to consider forming a small group of men to whom I could be accountable. The idea of having a group of close friends with whom I could be transparent and open was an idea I quickly warmed to.

As I prayed about it, the Lord brought three men to my mind. Each one already knew me through their involvement in the worship ministry at the church where I was serving as worship pastor. I approached each of them individually, asking them if they would be willing to meet weekly with me for Bible study and prayer and for mutual accountability. Each man agreed to be a part of the group.  We began meeting at a McDonald's restaurant early in the morning every Friday.

I had no idea how important this group would become to me. As we shared together each week, we become as close as brothers, sharing our struggles, fears, pain, successes and joys. Our relationships became so transparent that there was nothing we held back from one another. It was a safe place to be. There was plenty of laughter, occasional tears, and deeply satisfying time spent together in God's Word and in prayer. Last year, I officiated the wedding of one of the guys. There have been dinners, ball games, work projects, house movings, and even family vacations with each other. We have experienced life together.

Through the years, the group grew to six men, and even today, over ten years later, we continue to stay in weekly contact with each other. I moved to Colorado from Arizona eight years ago, but the distance hasn't lessened our commitment to each other. There are emails flying back and forth many times each week. The rest of the group still meets each week, even though I am no longer there. We hold a yearly summer retreat in the mountains of northern Arizona, and it has become the spiritual highlight of our year. These brothers in Christ have given me some of the closest friendships I will ever have. These guys will be men I remain close to for the rest of my life.

I believe in small groups.

 

Are we losing sight of our true mission as Christ's church?

I have been on staff at several large churches over the past 20 years. At each church, those of us in leadership have spent a lot of time strategizing our approach to ministry and evaluating our methods and effectiveness. We have attended conferences at large and growing mega-churches, hoping to learn from their successes. We have adopted various mission statements, vision statements and priorities, each time trying to make them memorable and catchy.

This past summer, I took a break from ministry. I have been reading, thinking and praying about how we do church in today's American culture. I'm not sure I have many answers, but I have begun to ask some questions.

1.  In our effort to be appealing and relevant to our cultures, have we lost the primary importance of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
2.  Are we relying more on the human wisdom of marketing and packaging than we are on being dependent on the Holy Spirit for ministry guidance and spiritual fruit?
3. Is bigger really better when it comes to churches, or do we risk a culture where deep relationships and vital community are difficult to achieve?
4.  Do our clever marketing strategies actually work against the goal of producing mature followers of Jesus Christ?

I find my heart yearning for a return to the basic essentials - to the simplicity of focusing on the Great Commandment (to love God and love others) and the Great Commission (to go into the world and preach the gospel, baptizing and teaching those who believe).

Maybe all of our strategies and methods aren't bad in and of themselves, as long as we don't allow them to take leadership over the primacy of living out the gospel of Jesus Christ. As we approach the end days, we cannot afford to lose sight of why we have been left here on this earth. Life is too short, hell is too hot and too many people's lives are at stake.