Ordinary Neighbor

Auditioning/Recruiting Worship Musicians

2012-01-06T14:56:00.001-05:00

I was recently asked this question by a local worship leader:

I'm working with a new worship ministry through [for anonymity...I'll not disclose the name of the church], and they are asking me to audition band members. I have met with some of them and have reviewed their applications, and while they may be talented musicians, some of them lack the spiritual maturity I was asked to discern. I was wondering if you have any suggestions as to how you respond to applicants who may be talented but not as spiritually mature as you would like, when auditioning for the worship team.

Some leaders might not be too thrilled about the prospect of auditioning worship team members. Before Hope College, I had never formally auditioned anyone. There are several liabilities in the audition process that I'll let you imagine for your own circumstances.

I'll point out a few benefits however:

First, over the years, the process has clarified what it is that we need in each musician and team. It is one thing to have a working definition of what a church musician is on paper. It is another thing to see these expectations actually lived out in real people. It is both sobering and inspiring.

Second, auditioning raises the level of commitment, my commitment to each person and their respective commitments to the ministry. A thorough audition process earns you access into each other's lives both to encourage and also to bring correction when needed. It is difficult to challenge people to grow in their character or musical abilities if you have no relationship with them, no trust. I strongly believe in beginning relationships well. If you begin with each person well, you will ensure a steadier and substantial learning curve.

Third, the audition process has forced me to become a better leader. If I pry into each person's life, question their gifting and character, then I must be someone who deserves their trust. Who am I? Why should I have the power to recruit and reject people? Why should I have the right to correct someone's artistic sensibilities or challenge their spiritual growth? This is the humbling/sobering part: I have to continue to be strong enough, to love well, to serve, to be patient and kind yet decisive and consistent.

I realize I haven't yet answered the question posted above. What I've shared so far is the context--some assumptions that I need to explain in order to give a more substantial answer.

So this is some of what I can put in print to describe what I'm looking for in worship musicians:

We should call all of our musicians to worship leadership. They should at some level desire to not just play music but to also want to direct that music toward God. We don't need warm bodies who can ice the guitar riff; we need willing hearts.

Now with that said, I don't expect all of my musicians to be to most spiritually mature students on campus. In fact part of my joy is watching many deepen their faith from year to year. Being on the worship team is hopefully a life changing experience. It is okay for people to be on the team who are struggling in various ways. A good audition process allows me to name those struggles and enter into them with each student. If during the audition process I discover that a person is not interested in growing spiritually, if there is not an inkling that this person could at some point be able to ask for and receive prayer, then they will probably not be a good fit.

You will need a good core of strong believers, people who have a proven track record of consistently practicing their faith. You'll need the help of these stronger leaders. Perhaps you invite these persons into a smaller core leadership team to pray and plan. You need to have team members who can give you reliable positive and critical feedback on song selection and your leadership among other things. You need to be teachable yourself and without a strong contingent of reliable people, you won't be able to continue growing yourself through the accountability of these core leaders.

Ideally, you'll have a healthy balance of more mature Christians and others who are on the journey.

How He Loves Us

2012-01-05T22:14:00.001-05:00

Alrighyteeee....Here goes as promised.

If you want to engage this post, I ask you to read (or skim) a few of the previous posts, especially "Should We Critique Worship Music?" Some have been overwhelmed and even frustrated with the effort I'm taking to critique worship music. What I'm doing is analytical, but I hope and pray this critique can better be described as discerning. Discernment, as I use the word is redemptive and positive rather than heavy handed and grumpy. I extend these critiques to you not to ruin your worship experiences, but perhaps to offer you a chance to step back and take a more careful look at your worship practice. Some would rather not take these things so seriously. We should instead lighten up and get on with the "real" act of worship, the opening of the hearts entering into the presence of God and not think too hard. In fact this is the general theme of the song I am considering here (below). The thrust of John Mark MacMillan's "How He Love" is experience, experience, experience--abandonment to experience the tremendous, overwhelming, tree bending love of God. It appeals to Christians who already function with a worship theology that values experience above all else. I find the song compelling, and useful in awakening those who might be more cerebral, the less emotional Christian hoping they might also discover God's all-embracing love in new and fresh ways.

Here is a working assumption that is helpful to entertain when discerning a worship song: each of us bring our own personal interpretations. My studies in Literature and Language theory are exposing themselves with this point. It is not that I believe all texts are relative. I'm not a deconstructionist in the way it has been fashionable especially in America. Yet I do believe in a kind of fluidity of interpretation. This fluidity is a result of our respective personal histories and vocabularies as well as our respective worship dispositions.

First our subjective histories: if I draw your attention to the word rose, each reader will potentially have a variety of intellectual and/or emotional responses depending on a myriad of factors. You might like roses while others prefer ranunculas. You might have had a bad experience with a rose, given a bunch to a young lady who didn't want to receive them from your hand. Perhaps you've spent too much time pruning your grandmother's rose bushes and been stung by thorns. Or perhaps roses are your favorite and what you look forward to each February. There is a dictionary definition of "rose" that we can all agree on. We know technically what a rose is, that it is not a ranuncula or a tulip and definitely not a tree or even a bird or a house. Language is not relative in that sense, but it has a fluidity because there is within each of us a personal lexicon that continues to be edited and revised as our vocabulary is laden for good or ill by a myriad of experiences.

Further, our interpretations of a worship text are also filtered through our respective personalities. It is perhaps difficult for some of us to accept that God has intentionally designed a variety of emotions in a variety of different types of persons that are all uniquely important to the body of Christ. It is common to assume that because I like a particular song, therefore everyone else must. Here I am somewhat treading near the subjective nature of aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't believe that line is true; beauty is instead in the eye of God. It just so happens that none of us are God and none of us completely see what he does. Therefore some of us tend to be more intellectual and approach God through ideas. These Christians desire tangible, true teaching and doctrine. Others are more apt to focus on the heart. These worshipers want to experience a present and tangible person. Other Christians are interested in ideas or emotions if only they lead to action, the doing and serving of the Body of Christ. And then there are the mystical or contemplative worshipers who do not like to use lots of words but prefer silence in God's presence. The essential point is that our denominational or church preferences often have more to do with how they match our personalities than our doctrinal confessions.

In sum: our respective taste based on our histories and personalities often dictate which worship songs we find worthwhile.

So I'll be honest. The first reason why I was put off by "How He Loves" was because it had been referred to me as that song that has the line "heaven meets earth like a sloppy wet kiss." I hadn't heard the music or experienced the song in a worship setting and I had already come to it with a chip on my shoulder. Before I explain more my trouble with that line, it is important to confess that my personal taste, my history and my personality, made me grimace at the idea of singing "sloppy wet kiss."

A challenge for a worship song writer is the matter of interpretive space. If we utilize little creativity, little metaphor and limit ourselves to common word choice, then it will be much more obvious to identify what the text means. There will be little space for mis-readings and confusion. However, as Dillard says, "ours is a God who loves pizazz." God is abundant in the work of his creation, should our worship not somehow reflect such extravagance?

It would be a shame to overly limit ourselves creatively, yet the defining nature of corporate or congregational song--worship that serves a larger group of people in honor of God--is a brand of music that must be fairly accessible. This means that our worship leading should not be primarily based on lyrics, chord structures and song arrangements that are merely personal satisfaction. Worship cannot be reduced to my own taste. I must constantly ask what music, what sounds, what words will serve and help the congregation. One scholar describes the great hymn writer Isaac Watt's as one who possessed an "artistic kenosis." We would do well to follow Watts' example in the way he emptied himself of his own creative agenda. Watts was a sophisticated scholar of theology and philosophy. He knew the heights to which language could be used but instead utilized what can be called "sunk phrases" in order to reach a larger group of worshipers. And of course it was his hymns that accompanied and nourished the Great Awakening. It is hard to argue with such fruit from a man who penned more than 500 hymns.

This is a difficult tension then, something of a paradox: how can we think of God and others, the corporate nature of our worship, and still find something personally nourishing, something that we can gladly share in? It is possible but will require surrender, patience, discernment and fidelity.

Honestly, what turned my interest to the possibility of considering "How He Loves" for our worship was the apparent strong interest of students. I want to know what inspires my congregation. Then I heard that Crowder covered it and changed the controversial line to "...unforseen kiss." I spent part of a summer listening to different versions of the song, Crowder's, Jesus Culture's and McMillan's own. I had ordered his record, "The Medicine" and was greatly surprised. It is a good record, very deep and wide lyrically and musically. Overall, the experience of "How He Loves" left me personally moved and excited to give it a shot...with Crowder's lyric change.

What do we loose by avoiding "sloppy wet kiss"?

I very much enjoy those who appreciate this line for its raw, abandoned, very human/heavenly expression of God's love for us in the form of the incarnation. In fact, a very dear friend of mine recently remarked how much he preferred "sloppy we kiss." I've found myself wanting to engage this line if only because my friend prefers it. It is good to see God through the eyes of someone you love. This is the essence of sharing and worship that we should be after. I learned something about the song through Joesph. And this will be a key way for all of us to grow together: to begin to appreciate what seems foreign through the appreciation of others. We need to keep stretching ourselves and this can most easily be done through relationships. If anything, I hope these posts will stimulate conversations that will help you engage others in important conversations and thus grow deeper in the way you fellowship in worship.

The beauty and force of the song is in its abandonment. I can personally approach the song even now with "sloppy wet kiss" and truly worship without distraction. Yet this is not my position; my leadership is not to give each song a wink, hope for the best and expect everyone to generously appreciate each song the way I can. We must take words seriously enough to identify the best of them for the sake of the church at large.

Why prefer "...an unforeseen kiss" instead:

Let's be literal about the experience of a "sloppy wet kiss." What is it that makes a kiss good? It's sloppiness? Its moisture? Again, remember the question of interpretive space I mentioned above. If there are a myriad of reactions each of us might have to a word like rose, how many more reactions could there be for the sensual kiss? Yes, we have the Song of Songs with some very erotic imagery that has been interpreted by some scholars as a metaphor of our passionate love relationship with God. While I personally appreciate this reading of the Song of Songs, this is still a controversy among scholars. The underlying question is how much of our human experience can properly be read back into our experience of God? How much of human relations can be used to describe God relations? Does it elevate our understanding of a love relationship with God to compare it to a human, sloppy wet kiss, or does it perhaps reduce a divine engagement with God that far supersedes the human experience of a raw kiss? Is it possible that "sloppy wet kiss" might--all personal style/taste set aside--actually be a reduction of God's engagement with us?

Herein we struggle with the very core essence of the incarnation, "when heaven and earth meet." Is there any other biblical warrant that gives us a sense that it is proper to describe our experiences with God with such sensuality? The prostitute washes Jesus' hair with pure nard and her hair. Jesus reclined at the table with his disciples. The New Testament portrays Jesus as a man who knew how to fish and cook. He walked long distances, probably could sail a boat and knew how to sweat and work hard. Yet we don't have a prevalent sense of him that might give warrant to the sensuality of a sloppy wet kiss.

Further, apart from biblical models, on a human level, how many of us really want to think about our kisses as sloppy and wet even if they might be? This is not what we cherish in our hearts. We don't relish sloppiness and wetness. Those are only the byproducts of something more intimate and profound. "Sloppy wet kiss" does appeal to the raw, humanity of the rest of the song. Unfortunately it can become a sentimental distraction. As we've said before, the sentimental is a focus on an emotion for the sake of an emotion. It is a mistake to confuse the essence of physical intimacy with sloppiness and wetness. Those are ephemera. The prize of intimacy is just that: intimacy.

What about kisses that are not sloppy? Are they less passionate or intimate?

Giving McMillan the benefit of the doubt, I'm assuming this lyric is an allusion to the doctrine of the incarnation. Yet, I sense he is intending more. What McMillan seems to be getting at is less a biblical truth and more of an existential or mystical idea of oneness between God and humanity. There is a great tradition of mystical authors that either border on or cross over into the territory of the sensual/erotic to describe our participation in the love and life of God. So the next question is whether or not our corporate worship songs should draw more from our subjective understanding of such mystical unions or if we should restrain our spiritual poetry to more sound Biblically grounded conceptions of spirituality.

Because I do value this mystical tradition and do claim to be Charismatic who wants a warm heart and consistent communion with the person of God, to walk in the Spirit, I can see both sides--to keep the original lyric or to use Crowder's re-write.

However, my final argument against the original McMillan lyric is again in regards to the context in which I lead. While a good portion of our students may be deeply moved further into intimacy with God in the lyric's original form, I know there is another contingent of students who may not be able to appreciate the artistic license. How many of the students I regularly lead have ever been kissed? How many have enjoyed being kissed? How many have been hurt by the wrong kiss? Especially in the context of a campus ministry, it seems appropriate to avoid the use of sensual language that opens such a large range of subjective mis-readings.

I am aware this is especially hard at Hope College. How many students in a Friday chapel with hands raised, singing at the top of their lungs with such seeming conviction...how many of these students later that night will be expressing their passion with a beer in their hand (either underage or too many), or passionately in the arms of someone they shouldn't be touching? The music we make in chapel is already very physical and perhaps even sensual. The beats are strong. The melodies soar. The layers and textures of sounds are evocative. The rest of McMillan's song is already powerful and effective in its offering of striking images that hint at the intensity of God's immanent approach to his people, "I am a tree bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy." Or "if grace is an ocean, we're all sinking." I don't believe we need "sloppy wet kiss" to get the point. To do so in our particular campus ministry context seems gratuitous.

Meeting John Mark McMillan

One last bit of a story might be helpful for those of you who still disagree with me: I feel queasy dropping names, but I did have the pleasure of being around McMillan for a few days at a worship conference roughly a year ago. Of all the worship leaders I encountered that weekend, he seemed the most down to earth and easy going among them. We had a few substantial conversations. We discovered a shared affection for the worship leader Kevin Prosch and the recording engineer/producer, Ethan Johns. My interaction with him was a true gift.

Ironically David Crowder led "How He Loves" during one of the services. Afterwards, I gathered up the courage to ask McMillan what he thought about the lyric change. If I am remembering correctly, he seemed either clueless to the switch or unaffected. He said something like, "huh...now what do you mean?" I explained that "sloppy wet kiss" had been replaced by "...unforeseen kiss." He shrugged his shoulders, a kind of "oh well...whatever."

I share this story as an encouragement to those "sloppy wet kiss" loyalists to pursue Watt's "artistic kenosis" as I witnessed it in John Mark McMillan: be less worried about a lyric change and more concerned with moving ahead to worship God. Why should any of us be more offended or alarmed by the lyric change than the song's original author?

I've mentioned this before: I'm concerned that a generation of young Christians have made these worship leaders and worship movements their church, the primary source of their spiritual formation. I like John Mark McMillain. I'm looking forward to listening to his new record. I hope our paths cross again someday. But no single leader or song is my priority. I care more for the corporate body of worshipers I lead weekly. As with my decision regarding the Jon Foreman verse, "How He Loves" is so well written, it already is so creatively effective that these alterations are small and minor.

Should We Critique Worship Music?

2011-12-14T02:12:00.001-05:00

Here is a job description I recently found for a "director of worship and creative arts" position at a local church.

Purpose of Position: This position focuses upon creating a musical sound and style that is excellent in execution, attracts people, a style consistent with our demographic, and a spirit that enables people to encounter God, and enhance the Gathering. This position is also responsible for developing teams for all technical (sound, lighting, audio) functions in a Gathering as well as working towards creative elements within Gatherings which would include but not be limited to video pieces, music, stage décor, drama, etc.

Skill and Experience
1. BA Degree Required
2. Has been a worship leader and involved with creative elements on a church team where the average Sunday attendance has been 700 or more
3. Licensed Minister or in process towards licensure from an approved organization
4. Competent in basic MS office, Finale or equivalent music program, can work with and meet budget, can set budget

Unfortunately nowhere does the description say that the worship leader needs any biblical or theological training, any wisdom or discernment. Nowhere does it suggest that the work of a worship pastor is fundamentally discerning which sounds, which tunes, which arrangements, which texts, which artistic tools will best serve to form followers of Christ. #3 vaguely alludes to a requirement for at least being in the "process towards licensure from an approved organization," but I'm not sure what that means.

If I had the courage and time I would like to write a book that might be called something like More Than The Hipster: Worship Music and 'The Cool.' I have pondered other possibilities: More Than Charismatic or More Than Winsome. The former evokes the pentecostal/charismatic section of Christianity and isn't my point while the latter just sounds stuffy. My concern is that in our attempts to help the church keep up with the times, to be relevant and voice its worship in a contemporary sound, we have lost a careful, informed discernment of what we are doing. We naively practice various production techniques and values; we appropriate 'the Cool' and have little understanding of how it is confusing our worship capacities. We recruit talented and likeable leaders who have good intentions but little formation. And this happens during a time when many Christian leaders are beginning to realize that the arts--especially worship music--is having as significant of a role, if not a more significant role than the sermon in the shaping of our understanding of what Christianity is essentially.

This lack of oversight is a relatively new phenomenon. The church historically has had a much more active role in holding worship composition accountable to singing true words with proper discretion. I am glad I don't live in the time of the Genevan community in the 16th century for example. Louis Bourgeois, one of three main contributors to the Genevan Psalter, was arrested for making musical changes to some songs he presumably had written himself. There was an outcry from many who did not want to learn any new tunes. John Calvin's primary concern was that congregational singing would be restricted to singing only the Psalms and that the music not pervert or sensualize the biblical text. No harmony or any "secular" tunes were used in worship. The purpose of restricting the Genevan Psalter to the 126 tunes was to clearly delineate proper, safe and worthy Christian music. Calvin would later personally intervene and have Bourgeois released from prison but due to the restrictions of Geneva Bourgeois eventually left for Paris and later had his daughter baptized a Catholic.

In contrast the worship music tradition that has arisen from Martin Luther is comparatively libertine. Luther embraced harmony (polyphony) as well as monastic chant, folk tunes and highly ornate orchestration. In short, the Lutheran tradition did not restrict singing to the Psalms but instead allowed for what my be considered Christian, or theological poetry.

[I highly recommend both Jeremy Begbie's The Resounding Truth and Paul Westermeyer's Te Deum for substantial examinations of the history of music in the church.]

While this is a gross simplification, we might generally say that our worship today is influenced by both Lutheran and Reformed traditions. We want Biblically sound yet creatively rich worship music. We want music that focuses on God, yet we also want freedom to express this worship however we'd like.

It is my experience that most of us take the former for granted. We assume that each of us wants good, strong Christo-centric worship. This explains why the job description above doesn't explicitly require any formal biblical or theological training. Yet we assume too much about our respective intentions and are terribly afraid of offending someone else's worship sensibilities. It seems rude doesn't it? To critique worship? Shouldn't each of us be able to sing what we want to God if we mean well? If our hearts are in the right place? If we are being authentic and sincere?

We don't have to be as heavy handed as the Genevan experiment in order to properly steward and discern worship music. There is a long history of hymn composers who have edited, revised, re-written, added verses and eliminated verses from hymns. Charles Wesley's great hymn, "O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing My Great Redeemer's Praise," originally contained 18 stanzas. What we now sing as the first stanza was originally stanza seven. Wesley's text originally read "...my dear redeemer's praise." Now we sing it commonly as "...my great redeemer's praise." I'm sure there are many other edits.

"Come Thou Fount" originally read, "Praise the mount--I'm fixed upon it,/ Mount of God's unchanging love!" Most contemporary uses of the hymn read, "Praise his name, I'm fixed upon it,/ Name of God's redeeming love." There is also that difficult stanza:

Here I raise mine Ebenezer,
Hither by thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home;
Jesus sought me, when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed his precious blood.

What does Ebenezer mean? What does interposed mean? Most of us don't know and so we accept the newer contemporized re-write:

Hither to Thy love has blest me,
Thou hast bro’t me to this place.
And I know Thy hand will bring me
safely home by Thy good grace.
Jesus sought me when a stranger
wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger,
bought me with His precious blood.

This is just a very small glimpse into how the church has edited, revised, critiqued and discerned worship music for decades and centuries. The words we use to describe God are powerful and weighty. They need to be handled with care, and proper discernment or critique of worship music needs to also treat people with care, gently and lovingly. Unfortunately, sometimes the decisions a worship pastor might make can result in pain and confusion.

I have had a handful of students approach me about my previous post regarding Jon Foreman's "Your Love Is Strong." I knew the decision to eliminate the second verse and that my writing about it would be frustrating for some. I'm incredibly grateful to the students who took the time to come talk to me. Unfortunately in the context of a campus ministry I am not always as accessible that I'd like to be. I want to be available to learn with you. These blog entries are one of the venues I use to extend myself, my thoughts, the things I've learned, the questions I still have...to bring myself closer to you.

So, please feel free to email or stop by. My door is open.

And I am going to get to writing out some thoughts on a the John Mark MacMilan, "How He Loves Us." So if you are interested in these things, stay tuned.

The Posture of Criticism - Discernment Vis a Vis Judgement

2011-11-27T00:21:00.001-05:00

I got the cold/flu about five days ago so these posts are coming out more slowly than I'd hoped. I'll pick up on the critique of "How He Loves" soon. I know that taking a step back to cover a few topics like what follows below might not be as exciting of a read as if I were to keep chipping away, critiquing some more songs. I know this post may seem tedious in comparison, a kind of disclaimer, but I'm more concerned about how and why I'm being critical of contemporary worship music than just coming off as your dime a dozen cynic. I've spent years repenting of the sin of cynicism.

Life Lesson #101: Scoffing at what is wrong is easy. Loving the church and contending for it is hard.

With 100 some hits on the previous post (Critique of "Your Love Is Strong") in less than two days--for this little blog--I must have hit a nerve, especially at Hope College. I remember my freshman year at Wheaton was full of many late night debates in the dorm. I tried to avoid them or I mostly listened, but a few times I dove right in. We had disagreements about everything from the classic Protestant conundrum of the 'free will' versus 'predestination,' the naive dichotomy of 'secular music' versus Christian; we questioned whether speaking in tongues is for Christians today, and which was right independent or denominational churches? Baptists or Reformed? Dispensationalism versus covenant theology? It was a nerve wracking translation of ourselves from our safe, parochial home churches and youth groups to a comparatively more ecumenical academic community. Some conversations would go on for hours with new voices adding into a conversation throughout the night. So many strong, intelligent opinions and experiences held with Christian vigor. Freshman year could be painful and awkward at times.

My assumption is that there are more reading who disagree with me, and I want to encourage such disagreement. There is nothing wrong with having differences of opinion. After all, our differences will not matter too much if we actively remember how much more we have in agreement. Disagreement, doubt and questions are fine, good and healthy even. The greater concern is not so much about the convictions we arrive at, but the charitable, Christ-like way we engage one another in conversation. I'm not saying that our ultimate conclusions are not important or relative but that our convictions are shaped by the journey we make to identify and confirm those convictions. Our ideas and beliefs are for better or worse shaped by our context.

A disagreement can cut deep into the ego and threaten what each of us believe is real and true. To do theology, to be a part of the church, to be committed to the growth of our shared understanding of God and his purposes, we have to wear these things carefully with humility. I admit that I can be weak in the wrong moment. I know the temptation to strive to be right and to have control. A large obstacle is that we often approach God like we might math. We tend to believe that if each of us could just become objective and get outside the question at hand, then surely we could all come to perfect agreement. But our ideas are not so much shaped by our rational minds in a kind of objective, abstract bubble. A conviction is held in the heart as much if not more so than the mind. A conviction is shaped by our character, by our affections, insecurities and fears. It is a wonder God has revealed himself to us at all.

St. Augustine has been my favorite model of how I might posture myself when daring to use words to explain or understand the things of God:

The Confessions Book XI, Chapter I. O Lord, since eternity is Yours, are You ignorant of the things which I say unto You? Or see Thou at the time that which comes to pass in time? Why, therefore, do I place before You so many relations of things? Not surely that You might know them through me, but that I may awaken my own love and that of my readers towards You, that we may all say, Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised. I have already said, and shall say, for the love of Your love do I this. For we also pray, and yet Truth says, Your Father knows what things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8 Therefore do we make known unto You our love, in confessing unto You our own miseries and Your mercies upon us, that You may free us altogether, since You have begun, that we may cease to be wretched in ourselves, and that we may be blessed in You; since You have called us, that we may be poor in spirit, and meek, and mourners, and hungering and thirsty after righteousness, and merciful, and pure in heart, and peacemakers. Matthew 5:3-9 Behold, I have told unto You many things, which I could and which I would, for You first would have me confess unto You, the Lord my God, for You are good, since Your mercy endures for ever.

Everything that Augustine 'confessed' (a double meaning of confession, both of his sin and his faith) was in accordance with the ordo amoris, the order of love. To paraphrase him, let all that this wretched person has to say about God lead to loving God and each other more abundantly. Our 'theologizing' should lead to doxology. Our talk about God should itself be a kind of worship.

So while I am practicing critique, I do not believe that the primary role of the Church or a theologian or a pastor is to act as a watchdog. A Christian's primary posture is not critical but doxological. If we are to be critical, it is for the sake of discernment rather than judgement. Jesus' teaching as accounted in Matthew 7:16 and Luke 6:44 is often misquoted as "judge a tree by the fruit that it bears." The English translation is instead most commonly "know" or "recognize" not "judge." In fact, it is interesting that chapter seven opens with "Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgement you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get." "Judge" here is closer to "condemn." It means to separate and divide in the way a court judge pronounces a sentence. To "know" a tree is to be close, to become acquainted with it, to discern its value.

Romans 12:2 contains a very helpful use of "discernment,"

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

This passage is often used to pit Christianity against so-called "worldliness." Such interpretations can lead to a sectarian or isolationist posture to encourage wary watchdogs, alert and on the ready to spot and root out sin. The fruit of such a critical posture is strife and bitterness. Our hearts become constrained more by condemnation/judgement rather than discernment/judgement. This Romans 12 use of "discern" calls us to practice redemption. To discern is primarily about identifying what is right and good and true rather than pouncing on what is wrong. We discern for the sake of pleasing God and worshiping God. We go into the world, into the fray of confusion with love to dust off and prize the beautiful rather than obsess, control and despise what is broken. We are better as lovers--at least a concerned parent or the biblical caring shepherd rather than the police, the Inquisition or the Gestapo or the acidic talking head politico.

So let me be clear, when I identify what concerns me about the state of the church today, when I ask questions about contemporary worship music, when I write a film, TV or CD review or critique a worship song, I do these things because I want a better love life, I want to worship more freely. If anything, even if you don't agree with me, I pray my teaching, leadership and writings might stir up good conversation and prayer, as Augustine says, "that I may awaken my own love and that of my readers towards You...."

May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to you oh, God. Would you burn away any empty word or thought in the consuming fire of your love. If we have anything worth saying to each other, the those words be yours, eternal, unmovable and filled with your mercy.

Thanks for reading.

Upcoming Posts & A Critique of "Your Love Is Strong"

2011-11-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

There are a handful of things I’d like to write about in the next week or so. I’m going to try and push out a few blog posts in the next few days. Thanks to those who read and keep me thinking of better ways to communicate ideas that matter greatly to me, and many thanks to my students for keeping me on my toes too.

Here are the topics I want to get at:

1. I’d like to follow up on the comment I made in my last post about making too much of art but that rather we should instead focus on being better humans (which implies engagement of the arts). There is much to discuss here. I’m glad to get emails from people who appreciate this concern. Because it seems to others to be a poignant nuance of my way of prioritizing the arts, I’d like to flesh the idea out some more.

2. Another friend asked me to recall for her some teaching I offered in the past on the distinction between capital “A” Artists and the rest of us who are all created as artists. The idea is that we are all artistic. To be human is to be creative. The question is which of us are called to practice a discipline of art making at more advanced levels with years of training for the sake of vocational, bi-vocational or a-vocational art making. Further thoughts on this will connect to what I want to write about for topic 1 above. Perhaps I can answer both of those in the same post. We’ll see.

*Topics 1 and 2 will need to wait a bit because I want to cover a few topics for my students. These are thoughts that have been growing in response to their questions and our discussions. This is teaching at its best: when I feel stumped in class and need to step back and rediscover how to communicate what is most important.

3. I need to more explicitly and unapologetically explain my concerns about some contemporary worship texts. Two songs came up in class this week, “Your Love is Strong” by Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman and “How He Loves Us,” by John Mark McMillan.

4. Then in another post I need to do a better job of connecting the overarching creedal portions of our class to specific cultural examples—to demonstrate why an inquiry into the ontological framework of the sacrament and Trinity matter to regular worship leading.

CRITICAL THOUGHTS ON “Your Love Is Strong”

First, let me emphatically encourage readers to see this not so much of a bashing of Jon Foreman and more of a case study. I don’t own any Switchfoot records, but I’m a fan. I like “Your Love Is Strong.” I believe that Foreman’s four seasonal EP recordings are fantastic examples of good, thoughtful creativity. However, there is just so much worship music out there, so many great songs that I can afford to be picky.

Second, I don’t expect most readers to initially appreciate the kind of discernment I am modeling here. That is why I teach this class. We generally don’t critique our songs very well if at all. What I’m offering here could make me seem like a crotchety old man, harrumphing around with arms folded and a frown. I’d like to disagree, that loving worship, loving the church and even loving Jon Foreman requires us to be discerning. I wouldn’t go to such great lengths to think through this song if I didn’t like it.

Third, I’ll point out that this is only the second lyric that I have adjusted for pastoral concerns in the almost six years of my ministry at Hope College. I’d never messed with the lyrics in the roughly ten years of worship ministry previous either. The point is that I don’t have a heavy hand. Actually, I do in terms of picking songs in the first place, but that is a whole other discussion.

So, I did a poor job in class of explaining why we have decided to ditch the second verse of this song:

I look out the window.
The birds are composing.
Not a note is out of tune
Or out of place.
I look at the meadow
And stare at the flowers.
Better dressed than any girl
On her wedding day.

First of all a confession: I can personally appreciate and worship with these words. I can navigate around the strengths and weaknesses of this verse and find meaning. I especially like the first half of the verse and am sad to say goodbye to it. However, the question is not what I personally can worship to. The question is what best serves the spiritual formation of the 1000 give or take a few hundred who join us for worship four times per week.

I think I overemphasized that our decision to nix the verse is squarely because of a response to some women who are frustrated with it. The initial concern begins with whether or not we would like to think that feminine beauty should be reduced to a woman on her wedding day. Is a woman in a wedding dress the definitive aesthetic achievement of a woman?

Arguments for keeping the Foreman lyric:

Argument one: we should not ditch worship songs or portions of a worship text because of a person’s personal quandaries. The worship text isn’t about an individual. A worship text is about God and so we should all work to focus on the best in a song and not get hung up on a particular word choice, phrase or even a whole worship text.

Argument two: Further, there is no such thing as a perfect worship song, perfect worship service or worship leader. Coming to worship requires us to readily forgive each other when our worship words, leadership, expression and participation do not live up to our personal expectations.

In class I overemphasized that the concern was how this worship passage might elicit personal confusion from young women who join us in fellowship. Yes, it is true; each of us bring our own personal baggage into worship. Our own experience can skew our ability to interpret and appreciate various worship expressions. Yes we must be charitable and forgiving when we run into worship passages that confuse or distract us.

However, in choosing to nix this part of Foreman’s song I am acknowledging that there are certain lines for the sake of a corporate a worship service that I need to guard and watch with discernment.

Arguments for not using the Foreman lyric:

Argument one: I don’t believe that a woman on her wedding day is the proper defining moment of feminine beauty that can properly ‘contextualize’ or contemporize the original Biblical passage the Foreman worship verse is responding to:

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

The trouble is that we don’t have royal splendor in North America and so Foreman turns to a wedding to attempt to evoke the same kind of meaning. Wedding day takes the place of King Solomon’s glory. This might seem acceptable especially when we consider that the New Testament uses marriage substantially to illustrate God’s relationship with the church, the bride of Christ. However, the focus here is not on how the bride of Christ is beautiful now, but more about how the church is being made beautiful. The bride of Christ is making herself ready (Rev 19:7). So it turns out that using the concept of the bride of Christ to defend this lyric is somewhat of a hermeneutical leap.

The trouble is that we have nothing in our culture that can properly help us understand Jesus’ reference to Solomon’s glory. I would personally prefer that worship songwriters had the courage to make specific Biblical references instead of always trying to contemporize. Let’s dare to become biblically literate.

Argument two: Even if we can appreciate the artistic license of Foreman’s lyric and can understand the spirit of what he is trying to convey, consider the lyrics artistic integrity. Here is where subjective enters the discussion. So this is admittedly my weakest point. This lyric is largely sentimental. Read these words together: window, birds, composing, note, tune, meadow, dressed, girl, wedding day. These are the words of a hallmark card. Now this is my subjective reading of the lyrics, and I even think that the great hymn “For the Beauty of the Earth” is prone to such sentimentalism as well. However, I am more willing to sing the hymn because of the gravity of the years and generations who have sung it.

Remember the definition of sentimentalism: emotion for emotions sake. Personally, when I have sung the line I find that images of brides in wedding gowns take greater space in my head than the initial point of the lyric which is the splendor of God’s creation.

Argument three: This argument is contextual to our campus ministry and is my most important. The lyric can idealize marriage and wedding dresses. I am pulling the lyric not so much because of the girls who already are frustrated with it, but for those young ladies who aren’t frustrated with it. I’m pulling the lyric for the many young men who might also have romantic idealizations about a wedding day. I’m pulling the lyric because I know how powerful worship words are to form a persons imagination. I don’t want to pedestalize marriage or brides. As a pastor I don’t want to reinforce the notion that girls are mostly highly valued, most beautiful when they get married. No, a woman in a wedding dress is not the definitive aesthetic achievement of a woman.

Perhaps I wouldn’t be picky about this if I weren’t serving a campus ministry where there is so much pressure on relationships, the temptation to obsess in the search of the one, true love. I spend considerable amount of time and energy trying to help college students learn how to see the opposite sex as a human being first and a potential spouse much, much later. We have so many layers of confusion that push and pull on our sexuality, it seems easier to avoid language in worship that might perpetuate that confusion. If the rest of this particular lyric had enough weight/value and wasn’t prone to sentimentalism, then perhaps I’d fight for it.

A Good Day: Seeing The Dogs is Like Living Well

2011-11-14T00:07:00.000-05:00

Living a day well is akin to paying attention to our dogs. Little Ike and Coen, the last two of a litter of puppies left at the shelter when my wife rescued them. They were so helpless and loveable she couldn’t just pick one. She had to bring home two to surprise me for a Valentine’s Day present four year ago this next February. We figure Ike was picked over because he was the runt with a definitively oversized portion of the “little man syndrome,” meaning that if he isn’t being coddled he can be quite the grump. Coen was picked over because even though he is quite handsome and well proportioned, he is skittish and afraid of silly things like smooth floor tile, heat vents and gutters. We loved these two little fur balls for two years and then somehow in the third year we got distracted. Then we had a baby and now they are always here, ready and eager for our attention if only we had the patience and clarity of heart and mind to give it them. Now living a day well doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ve given love to dogs, but it means that we are in a better posture to.

Prayer must certainly be like this and art and love too. How many gorgeous things surround me that I cannot attend to because I’m busy, self consumed, self important, blind dumb and numb? Again, Annie Dillard. I believe it’s chapter two of Pilgrim At a Tinker Creek. She begins, “I’ve been thinking about seeing.” She tells the story of hiding pennies in crevices and crooks of old trees and along sidewalks as a little girl. She drew arrows on the sidewalk with the words, “treasure this way!” Her point is that there are hidden pennies everywhere in life and creation with arrows and maps pointing the way to treasures but sadly, as she says in her essay “Total Eclipse” in Teaching Stones to Talk, “we are born and bored in a stroke.”

Somehow I got caught up in all this talk about the arts. Lets champion the artist, the misunderstood, the marginalized and fringe, the bohemian, the crafty creative person because (again Dillard) ours is a God who loves pizazz. Sure I love the arts. I just spent an hour reading Barbara Kingsolver’s The Lacuna to my wife until she fell asleep. We’ve been into the latest season of the TV series Damages with Glenn Close and Rose Byrne. It is exciting and somewhat redeemable, a titillating expose of white-collar crime and it’s no small feat to make white collar crime mysterious and riveting. Yet as Susanna began to yawn and apologize for having to ask me to stop reading we had a brief discussion about how much nicer it is to finish the evening with a book rather than a TV show. Definitely. We love the arts. We love Kingsolver’s prose. She makes me want to travel south of the border again soon for pollo frito fresh squeezed juice and la playa. Yet is this really all that much about art itself or it is about being a better human and living a day well?

I say its time we stop talking so much about the arts and begin talking about talking about how to live a day well, how to live better, how to be better humans, and yes this will require the arts but not art as an end in itself but as a means, a kind of training in how to see better.

Kingsolver makes me want to travel south of the border for a proper margarita and carnitas and she makes me want to pay attention to my dogs more. How did they become so boring to me? If my dogs can become boring, then is it possible for me to let my work, my art, my marriage and even my beautiful son become boring too? Yes. Please God forgive us all our boredom. Oh ennui, the noonday demon.

Kate Kooyman gave a beautiful message tonight at the Gathering on sin and forgiveness. In the first third of her message, she unpacked the difference between sin and immorality and how we confuse the latter for the former. Being a sinner isn’t just about specific acts but about an overall dispassion of being turned inward toward self-worship. I’ll add that sin is fundamentally being cut off from the life of God. It is living without the right redemptive perspective of forgiveness and hope, of love and light. Sinfulness is living in the gutter of the darkness of the self.

So art plus redemption can lead us to seeing better? Yep. True, however art by itself will shape and change us but it cannot save us. Art by itself becomes its own idolatrous end; its own party; its own scene that alienates and separates those who get it and those who don’t. The in and the out. But redemptive human creativity is essential to becoming a Christian. My dogs are beautiful little guys. People stop me and remark when I’m with them on a walk. Wow, what beautiful or amazing or cute little dogs! And inside I’m hoping just to get them to poop so we can get back to the house and on to more important things, to my things, to my agenda. I’m a sinner self-consumed. I’m ignoring the blazing colors of the Fall leaves, the ones remaining on the branch and those scattered on the ground. I’m blind to the subtle changes in wind and temperature, the joy of pulling my scarf tighter. I don’t reflect on the month past, the summer past, the winter ahead. I walk a straight boring line from point A to point B to get the job done, to go back inside and be boring again.

This is not all true. I’m being a good Midwestern boy with a guilt complex. I can see. Yesterday I cut our the burning bushes that line the front of our house back so far that they are little bitty stumps of potentiality—that is if I didn’t kill them (they were getting so huge and everything I could find on the mighty internet said burning bushes are resilient). Behind the bushes was a large planters box eight feet long sitting underneath the front windows. Until yesterday you couldn’t see that its paint was peeling away or that the box itself was almost rotted out, a liability I could have left of the spring? The two hour job turned into six. I was forced outside a bit longer. The dogs tied to the railing on our front steps and wow was Ike grumpy with the cats and dogs and children running freely and flagrantly in front of his tied up self. I cut back the bushes. I raked leaves. I removed the flower box. I scraped the flaking paint behind it. I repainted the shake shingles. I raked some more and the sun set. It got colder. We went inside and made French toast with bananas and honey. Then I pet my dogs with Casper. He chased them around the kitchen island a bit. I could see it.

Oh please God, help me see tomorrow.

A Good Day: Seeing The Dogs is Like Living Well

2011-11-13T23:56:00.000-05:00

Oh please God, help me see tomorrow.

Guest Post on eighthdayfarm.com Worm Poop Doesn't Compute

2011-10-23T15:44:00.001-04:00

I serve on the board for Eighth Day Farm and wrote this guest blog post for them a few weeks ago:

GUEST BLOGGER WEDNESDAY: WORM POOP DOESN’T COMPUTE

Update: Naming It Well

2011-10-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

So much is going well. I wish I had the time and the words. I wish I had the gumption too. Everything I want to say and could be said about family, marriage, fatherhood, music, campus ministry, teaching, friendship…trying to speak well about such things feels silly and awkward to name, or at least to name too quickly.

Have you ever had an experience that was so raw and good that you were left reeling dumb and stupid? I asked a poet once if he walked around experiencing his waking life thinking, “now that experience…there is a poem in that.” He said that no, we must first warm our hands around the fire of existence and then later work to find what will emerge in the art.

This is the question of taking our cameras with us on vacation. Walker Percy asks if we spend all our time behind the lens, do we end up missing the experience itself? The loss of creature? Is life merely a photo album we flip through page by page later afterwards? In the context of our contemporary media: is our life the sum total of what we catalogue of ourselves on our blogs and facebook pages?

Yet we do name our experiences. We have to. We need ways to share ourselves. This is what Annie Dillard is working through in her essay, “Total Eclipse.” She says we bluster around the world with a “shovel and a pail, a grammar and a lexicon” working to save our very lives because those things that we do not have words for are lost to us. So the challenge is to use the right words, the best words, to have patience and not name the experience too quickly and perhaps turn to the best of artists and writers and learn from their vocabularies how to better name our remembrances worth remembering.

Yesterday I splurged and purchased a 16 GB memory card for our camera. It’s a point and shoot that was a previous splurge just before Casper was born. It cost a third of our Nikon SDL, but we use it so much more often because it fits in a pocket and because it takes HD videos and has a stereo microphone. We captured Casper’s birth with it. It has captured many important moments. The trouble is of course with hard disk space. We have none left. HD videos are huge. Yesterday, I decided I didn’t care. We need to keep filming Casper. I’ll buy another external hard drive.

So this morning I filmed the ritual of walking up the stairs to get him out of his crib. I filmed a bit of him looking and pointing out the window. I filmed him shoving his face into his blanket and sucking his thumb. I set the camera on a shelf and filmed us reading books before bed. He thinks he is talking now. He opens a book, points at pictures and makes sounds in a cadence that resembles something that could sound like reading. Tonight he went to our bookcase and dragged Maugham’s Of Human Bondage over to Susanna and sat down on her lap for her to read only to find there were no pictures.

I’ll never be a good enough poet or songwriter to capture these moments. Susanna’s second book, Entering the House of Awe, arrived a few weeks ago (and is for sale…you can buy it on Amazon, but if you buy it directly from us…we’ll pocket more money…and that is helpful…email me if you are interested). As a new mom, she hasn’t written more than a few poems in the last year. When the book arrived, I read several poems aloud at the dinner table weeping and made her promise to keep writing if only for me. Perhaps some day after warming her hands on the fire of our beautiful, little boy she will write about him and about us and perhaps she will find the correct, appropriate words to help us remember—not just remember, but to fully experience it.

But in the mean time, I’m using HD video to keep track of these things. Children suddenly speed up time. A baby changes into a toddler too quickly. A year is no longer just a year. It is the difference between an immobile, sleeping sack of eating and pooping flesh and a babbling, temperamental, wide-awake to the world, bonafide human being who can almost run, who you swear is about to utter a sentence demanding more cheese.

My gift and my curse is that I feel everything so deeply. Some people might call it sensitivity or sentimentality or emotionalism. Perhaps it is all three. I think it is a matter of exhaustion. I barely know how to process all that I absorb in a day.

Susanna is out for the evening. I just put Casper to bed a few hours ago and I’m still absorbing the goodness of holding him in the nursery lit only by the glowing mobile I made for him. C.S. Lewis writes in his famous sermon, “The Weight of Glory,” that if we really could behold each other we would see every one of us as princes and princesses. The sheer magnitude of each other’s full being would be almost too much to bear. I believe this is the gift of babies: in their tender state, we get to hold them and gather them up into ourselves in a way that we cannot with any other grown, sophisticated being. Babies are present and available to watch and admire. Teenagers, adults? They are hidden behind layers. We don’t have the right words for them. No words to unlock their mysteries. But babies are plain and raw and available. They are revealed in such plain sight that even the most random of strangers feels the freedom to come up and give them a pinch (which of course bothers the heck out of me when it happens to Casper).

This is what Jesus said about the children, that we must become like one of them to inherit the kingdom. Throw off sophistication. Discard posturing. Repent of pretension. Stop hiding. Risk being known. Forgive others when they misunderstand you. Let yourself be simply present and alive. Rejoice.

Adam and Kristin's Wedding Homily

2011-08-15T23:29:00.000-04:00

Published with permission from the good couple. Written out of love for them. Inspired by the need for us to all live more deeply into our marriages and hopefully to help frame marriage properly for some of you who hope to be married some day.

It is good to be single too. I enjoyed being single for 29 years!
......................................

Read July 22, 2011

“He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17

Kristin and Adam, friends and family, Father God, your Son and Holy Spirit,

Let me start by saying that I am extremely glad to be included in this ceremony for at least two good reasons. First, because I love these two people greatly. As our dean of the chapel says frequently about campus ministry, we fall in love often and we have to say goodbye often. I do fall in love with college students regularly. It is difficult to see them leave. So any chance to be involved in the lives of Adam and Kristin post graduation is a soul-warming blessing. My wife and I have had the privilege of offering them some marriage counseling these past few months. And the cliché is true, when you teach you really do receive more than you give.

The second reason why I’m thankful to be a part of this ceremony is because I believe in marriage so fiercely. It is no mistake that the Scriptures use marriage and family as a lens through which we can understand our relationship with God and our participation in the church. So as I share a few thoughts here about marriage I’m speaking first to Adam and Kristin, but I’m also speaking to my own soul, to my own marriage and to the rest of us who have much to learn about our love for God through the context of our love for each other.

We are all gathered here today to participate in one of the gladdest of occasions we can know this side of heaven. There is a delight we experience in witnessing the union of two people that little else compares with.

As I’ve imagined this day for several months, the picture I’ve held in my mind’s eye is of Adam’s grin spread from ear to ear with his face turned that bright red that many of us know well. For those of you who haven’t seen this, any time Adam has become the center of attention these past three/four years that I’ve known him, the fair skin of his face becomes instantly flushed with red. I’ve imagined Kristin’s face no less filled with light, and life and hope.

Yes, here you both are standing in front of all these people who have come from far and near. And we are all here because of you, because of the story of your falling in love, how your love has matured and how you have made the decision to commit your lives to each other and spend the rest of your days together. So I say, let your faces beam red and beautiful. This is most definitely your day.

One of the disciplines of marriage we talked about is choosing to be near and draw close to our spouses. Even though this homily is brief, we shouldn’t rush. Hold each other tight. Take a deep breath. Let’s linger here for a bit. [look around you, gather in this moment, treasure this day, absorb this place, these people, be near each other]

As performing artists the three of us know that it is possible to perform a dance or play a song without really being inside the dance or the song. We rehearse. We know our parts and we simply let muscle memory take over and suddenly the performance is finished and we have not found are way into the moment. We haven’t been present.

A wedding ceremony can be like this as surely as an entire marriage. Will your marriage be a lifelong journey of growing deeper in love? Of discovering more of yourself in the love and life of the other? As the years go by will you discover the particular love language each of you speak? Will you get better at listening and learning with each other?

Or will you let the busyness of life swallow you. Will marriage become a convenient arrangement of two good friends who happen to live in the same house and share a few children?

The bad news is that there seem to be more reasons today not to get married than to make this commitment. We are surrounded by examples of broken marriages, suffering families, exhausted parents, bitter spouses and indifferent spouses.

Yet, the Good News is always bad news before it is Good. We need to understand what we are being saved from before we can conceive of how much help we need to live our lives.

The Good News is that your marriage has great promise. My wife and I have gotten to know you. We’ve heard you talk about what you love most in each other. We can clearly see that you are in love. The Good News, however, is greater than your own love. The Good News is that marriage has less to do with being in love with each other as it does with being in love with God.

Yes, today is your day. Today you are both on display, but the best News is that it is truly the person and love of Jesus Christ that is on display through you. The Psalmist declares, “look to him and be radiant so your faces will not be ashamed. (Psalm 34:5)” If you are smiling today, if any of us are excited and glad for you it is because we believe that the Author and Perfector of our faith is here. He has brought your stories together. And so we are looking to him. We are gazing at Christ through the beauty of the two you. Adam, you are God’s gift to Kristin. Kristin, it is God’s good pleasure to give you as a gift to Adam. Together, you are a gift to the rest of us and so we join into your joy.

The only way you can be alive to each other in this marriage for several years to come, the only way to grow deeper in love with each other and to be present in each other’s lives is if you maintain the discipline of being present to Christ, looking to him, taking him into your hearts and minds and living through Him.

The Apostle John calls this, “abiding.” “If you abide in me and I abide in you, you will bear much fruit but apart from me, you can do nothing” Jesus says to us in chapter 15 of the Gospel of John.

Jesus tells us earlier in chapter six of the Gospel that we must eat his body and drink his blood. When the disciples heard this, they agreed this was a hard teaching. Indeed, what did Jesus mean? The Lord’s Supper, eating the bread and drinking the wine is the most significant practice where we as Christians regularly set aside the busyness of our lives. We bring our anxious selves to the table and eat, we imbibe, we clothe ourselves, we draw close, we remain and dwell inside of, and we abide in the very person, the very being of God.

In the Lord’s Supper, Jesus is the person who is most brightly put on display. Yet the Lord’s Supper is not just a weekly or monthly practice. This is also our daily sacramental invitation, to sit at his table to eat of him and to abide in Him.

Here is the key of what I want to say to you today: we can abide in each other only if we first abide in Him.

When the Scriptures speak about a man leaving his father and mother and cleaving to his wife so that they become one flesh, we are not assuming that you will dissolve into each other. By becoming one in Christ you do not lose what makes each of you unique. That is adolescent infatuation. We’ve all witnessed relationships where the two people disappear into each other, where neediness grabs onto neediness, loneliness onto loneliness.

Instead, in Christ each of you come to this marriage with a fountain-of-living water-and-life flowing through you. Christ is alive in each of you and here is the Mystery of being one in Christ:

Kristin, I’ve heard Adam describe what he loves about you. You are the trusting friend; the patient one. The friend who believes the best of others. The friend who is kind and easy to be with. We all know you as a hard working artist, a dancer and a dance teacher, but the only way for you to discover more about your particular uniqueness is if you abide in Christ and if you abide in Adam through Christ.

Adam, Kristen has also described what she loves about you. You posses an integrity and a concern about what is right. You care deeply about important ideas. We know you as the musician and the growing church leader. Yet, the only way for you to discover more about your particular uniqueness is if you abide in Christ and if abide in Kristin through Christ.

I am very close to the Roman Catholic view of marriage. Catholic’s believe that like the Lord’s Supper, marriage is one of the sacraments. And what is sacrament? A sacrament is that which edifies, that which appropriates the life of Christ into our own lives. Through the Sacraments we become more like Christ. The mystery is that through the joyful, fiery furnace of marriage Adam, you will become more you, the fuller and more true Kenneth Adam Nelson as you fall more in love with Kristin. And Kristin, you will become the fuller and more true Kristin Benner Nelson as you fall more in love with Adam.

Of course I am talking about genuine marriage, the real sacrifice of love that no film or radio song can capture. I heard a man from India once say, “In America, you shop for wives. In India we marry and learn the discipline of love.”

You’ll have the opportunity to get to know the worst about each other. You’ll see the darkness and you’ll be tempted to judge each other, to hold grudges, to doubt, to grow apart and let indifference define your days. We charge you today: do not let any numbness or deception, indifference or bitterness take foothold in your home. The discipline of marital love requires the grace of our persistence in loving and especially the love that comes through forgiveness.

This is another glimpse at the mystery of Biblical marriage: while the rest of our society participates in marriage contractually, while many agree to remain in a marriage as long as it lives up to their expectations—as long as it meets their perceived personal needs—the Christian marriage, instead, is empowered by something that no other religion or philosophy offers: you have access to the radical power of forgiveness. You are able to make the covenant till death can part you not on your own strength, not from the resources of your own kindness, or generosity. Christian marriage is radically counter-cultural in the sense that you are both called upon to forgive each other daily. As you abide in Christ, as you fall deeper in love with each other, you posture your lives toward each other through the discipline and indeed the joy of daily forgiveness. You must forgive Jesus says seventy times seven. The fountain of love and life flowing through you is this fountain of forgiveness.

Our confession is that all things were made by Christ. All things were made through him. All things are held together in him. We believe that if Christ were not seated on the throne, all of the cosmos would fall apart. Likewise, your marriage will be held together when the Christ of radical forgiveness remains on the throne of your hearts.

I close with this prayer from Colossians 1:9,10

“For this reason we will not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.”

Let it be so Lord Jesus. Amen.

New List of TOPICS - Blog Edit

2011-07-30T14:22:00.001-04:00

I really try not to take blogging too seriously. This blog has been mostly a clearinghouse for whatever is rumbling inside. Earlier this summer, I wrote a post on Super-Pop Worship and had lots of readers. And every writer/artist loves and audience. Any who say they don't are lying or confused. Of course it makes sense that anything on corporate worship would draw more interest since that is my main work. Of course it would take me five years to realize that I should focus more on this topic.

So, in the spirit of making this blog more accessible to readers who are more interested in corporate worship, I've simplified my Index and turned it into a list of TOPICS. I simplified the topics to help someone move beyond the less interesting ephemera of my life (ie. Updates) and the political drivel (ie. Banter).

Here is a brief description of each TOPIC.

'Urban' Life
Urban farming, vermicomposting, home craft/design...anything I'm doing in the home or neighborhood to avoid living a life of "quiet desperation." Urban is used loosely.

Art
I'm a worship leader and a college professor, but I'm mostly a pastor of artists. I care mostly about creativity, creative people, creative living, creative thinking. Art.

Banter
A catch-all for anything that doesn't fit the other TOPICS. Earlier in 2008 I was writing lots about politics, but I've grown cynical and tired of that.

Books
Recommendations and the occasional review.

Corporate Worship
Anything to do with liturgy, worship music and corporate worship music.

Film
If I could do it over, I might have done a degree in film studies. A few reviews.

Good Quotes
Explains itself

Ministry
Catchall for such related topics.

Music
Mostly about independent music. Some on recording. Some reviews.

Ordinary Neighbors
My 'band," well my musical project with my wife.

Television
We've gotten addicted to a few cable TV series. Recommendations and the occasional review.

Updates
Catchall for my life. I'm not going to get into tweeting ever. This is for those friends/family who want more detail than facebook can provide.

What Food Feeds Your Soul?
Because I'm always looking for ways to subvert gnostic practices. This one goes with 'Urban' Life.

What Music Feeds Your Soul?
A series that had pretty solid readers. I don't know why I stopped writing it. Some of the recent posts on corporate worship would fit.

Writings
A few real publications and a few self-published. This will contain sermons and other public addresses.

As always, I love the interaction. Dialogue keeps me thinking and growing. If you don't want to post public comments, you can email me a bannerj AT hope.edu

Eighth Day Farm Benefit Dinner - PLEASE COME!

2011-07-24T17:10:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned before that I'm on the advisory board for Jeff Roesing's Eighth Day Farm. We are putting together a benefit dinner to raise money for the farm. You can see the invitation below. I would love it if any of you were interested in joining us on Friday, August 26th at the urban plot on the corner of 30th & Pine (The old Zion Lutheran Preschool). I'm close to confirming that some Hope students will be playing some bluegrass/folk music. We almost have secured the chef to cook the meal and are still looking for a few restaurants to offer some appetizers. Most of the produce will be provided by Eighth Day, but I believe some will come from other local CSAs like Groundswell and Eater's Guild. We'll have meat provided by Earl's Meats and it looks like we also have a deal with some local breweries and wineries for beverages.

There will be a silent auction with artwork that has been donated by a few area artists (Andy Krio, Emily Christensen, Billy Mayer). Susanna will be offering her two books and an hour of poetry writing lessons for children and/or adults. I'm putting up a complete worm compost bin with worms and personal guidance of getting started. I believe there will also be a really nice and easy to use composter. Jeff and Andy will also be auctioning two people/families personal planing and counsel for their home vegetable gardens. We are looking for more things to auction. If you have anything to donate, we can offer you a tax deduction.

We are especially interested in hosting anyone interested in food issues and community development. If you have suggestions of who I can make personal invitations to, please let me know (bannerj at hope.edu).

Jeff has put countless hours into this farm/community development project over the past two years without collecting a salary. We hope and pray for the community support to help Eighth Day move into its third year and for Jeff to start being compensated. Please consider joining us for this important event. To RSVP for the event (by August 16th), either send us an email through the contact for on our site or, contact Josh Hauch at 616-510-0606.

Comments? Writing = Exact Thoughts

2011-07-11T09:05:00.001-04:00

Apologies to Nick or any others who might not have expected me to reply to their comments in a full blog post. I realized that I might have breached some trust in this "online classroom" I am trying to develop here. I'm just overeager to have interaction. It is like having a student raise her hand in class. Get the discussion going!

From now on if you've got something that you'd like to interact about and don't necessarily want to go 'public' please feel free to email me bannerj@hope.edu.

If I am anything, I am a teacher. Five years in secondary ed. Five years teaching a few college courses. That is why it makes sense for me to be a worship leader at a college. I've got a huge classroom here. Mostly I hope this blog helps me interact with Hope College students more intentionally and thoughtfully.

I spent three days earlier this summer reading with a student going into the 8th grade. I used to teach grade 6 language arts. I picked Touching Spirit Bear a book I used to teach and know well. He is a great kid. Very bright. A great reader with attention to details, but we talk about how hard it is for him to share his thoughts in discussion.

Here is my soapbox yet once again: we largely lack skills of conversation in our society. We are good consumers, but the only way for us to own ideas is to know how to take the thoughts bouncing around in our heads and put them into sentences. If it is helpful to say things out loud, it is even more helpful to write the thoughts out.

Sir Francis Bacon: "Writing maketh and exact [person]."

W.H. Auden/ E.M. Forster/ Saul Bellow: "How do I know what I know until I see what I say?"

Another comment on Super-Pop...'Ecumenical Taste'

2011-07-08T23:53:00.001-04:00

Again, my response was getting long. So I'll just keep making these new posts rather than hiding them in the comment section.

I dig it Nick. Great thoughts. Helpful feedback. And your words are kind. Don't worry about adding more expectation. I've known those expectations in many many forms for five years now. If I couldn't handle it, I would have already looked for other work! I'm always excited about a good discussion. The interaction is what helps me learn most...not just the writing. So, thanks.

I'm mindful here of the language Paul uses in Corinthians about all things being lawful but not necessarily profitable. I somewhat agree and disagree with you about my role in making the worship event 'happen.' Yes, there is a sense that certain leaders have a kind of gifting, what some call an anointing. I hope I have that anointing and want eagerly to grow in it. Yet, I'm leery of putting any leader on a spiritual pedestal. I don't like how high our stage is Dimnent. I don't like over lighting the stage or video projections of the worship leader's face. I believe we should be focusing on the corporate experience of singing and praying together. I know too many worship leaders who seemed to be 'with it' spiritually, yet whose lives are a wreck...broken families, homes, sexual sin, deceit, greed. This is typical of our celebrity cult and must be subverted. The people on stage cannot be seen as more spiritual and in tune with God. Much of what I want to do is be strong enough of a leader to frame the worship event and then get out of the way. There is of course much more to talk about just in this one section of the worship leader's role. I'll move on.

The greater role of a worship leader isn't necessarily his/her presence and leadership in the event as it is his/her stewardship of identifying what is truly 'profitable.' Songs at 130 bpm might be helpful for you. It may be very good for me to learn by stretching myself into this style, yet is a steady diet of only uptempo songs spiritually healthy? I don't think so. That is why I don't call the music we do "praise music," nor are the bands "praise teams." There are many other arenas of worship that God has called us to other than Thanksgiving and Celebration (I laid out some of the main themes of worship HERE). I just happen to be on a journey of joyfully rediscovering how to lead a congregation to "rejoice always...and again I say rejoice." That is why I'm thinking about super-pop worship, listening to it and trying to discern it.

A large purpose in my writing and teaching is to instigate a larger conversation about the kind of discernment a worship leader must wield when picking songs, arranging songs, putting a service together in order to best form the congregation of worshipers and then leading the service. There are black and white areas when we engage such discernment, but must avoid being prescriptive. This means that what might work at Hope College for our campus ministry might not be the best for the church down the street or across the country. I cannot prescribe what is best for every other ministry. Instead, a biblical and theologically informed conversation and discernment will help each of us work out questions of song selection, arrangement, public presence in our respective ministries...in fear and trembling.

My particular journey right now while I learn with Hope College students is how to get better at more uptempo songs. There are some super-pop songs that I will not lead and I'm bold enough to argue shouldn't be bothered with anywhere. BUT I'm discovering some uptempo songs that are delightful and nourishing. However, while I want to be teachable and stretch in doing more uptempo songs, I try to also work harder at introducing more hymns and am always looking for contemplative songs and especially songs written outside of North America. I like what you said about the need of diversity of sounds. Frank Burch Brown calls this "ecumenical taste." Harold Best claims that often when we say that we won't sing that song, what we really mean is that we don't want to sing with those people. Often what is profitable is something of a diverse diet of various worship themes and worship sounds.

This final topic which I won't elaborate on here in this post is that while I want to grow in ecumenical taste, a diversity of worship themes, sounds, tempos, pop rock, folk, bluegrass, global, choirs etc., we cannot be too worried about trying to cram all this diversity into a single worship service. We have in campus ministry two semesters to try many, many things. That is what makes my work both hard and exciting. I hope people can hear a bit of 'ecumenical taste' on this year's worship recording, Morning & Evening. It is also available on iTunes now I believe.

Thanks again for your thoughts. Blogging would be boring if nobody offered their thoughts. PEACE

Comments on Super-Pop Worship Music

2011-07-05T23:22:00.000-04:00

WOW! Comments! FUN! I've tried not to take this blog too seriously and to allow it to be a place for me to dump whatever I'm thinking or living. BUT, of course considering my ministry and teaching it makes sense that the corporate worship posts garner the most reactions. I started to write this in the comment section of the last post but it was getting long.

Ryan/Kevin, thanks for the particular band references. I was into DCT up to Jesus Freak and stopped there. I think that was my senior year of high school or freshman year of college? They just got too pop for me.

Kevin, I don't know if I'd recognize a Reliant K song if I heard it. I'll do some youtubing.

OKC Big D, your personal accounts are invaluable. I'd love to hear more next time we are together. Were you saying that the 'eschewing' of CCM artists is good or bad?

Wen, ironically my brief time with JMM made me want listen to his record. Such a stink about "sloppy wet kiss." It took me some time to get past that too but there is so much in his record. He is about as earthy as I've met in the contemp worship scene. Yeah, the vids will probably bewilder me though. I wonder how much control he has over such things. He is a fascinating example of what is happening with Christians worship and art. I asked him if being on Integrity was a good fit. I think they used to distribute all the old Vineyard cassette tapes I listened to.

Regarding what we might think about JMM in 50 years: I'm seriously getting to a point where I don't know if it is possible to use the litmus test-of-time to judge much of anything in worship or music for that matter. It is a standard in my gut that I want, but I'm struggling to apply it when honestly considering what is happening now with worship music and the internet and music distribution. As a historian, you have to acknowledge that the 'canon' of hymns, is really a farce when you look cross denominationally. There are thousands and thousands of hymns and that was when we had such limitations in terms of publishing. On one hand a good song should somehow become classic and stand the test of time. On the other hand, isn't it good that many many of God's people are responding to him creatively? Yes stand the test of time, but time for which people group? Music and art is not denominational any more, it is tribal in its many independent manifestations. Lots more to think about on this question though. Thanks for your response.

Super-Pop Worship?

2011-07-02T10:23:00.001-04:00

I don’t know how I remembered: Linkin Park? There was a whole wave of pop rock bands that got big shortly after I graduated from college in 1997. In the five years that followed, I was securely snug into Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma City. Many of us were writing our own worship tunes. And we didn’t listen to the radio, so we missed Linkin Park.*

When I took the position at Hope College in 2006, a year had passed since (according to wikipeida) Linkin Park had reached international fame. Yesterday I pulled up a few of their videos on youtube and now so much of the super-pop worship music makes much more sense to me.

And another: Newsboys. Again, we weren’t listening this band in my church either. Their worship hits began hitting CCM radio in 05-06.

I made a definite effort last summer to find a few songs that were over 112 bpm…maybe even 115. Halfway through the school year one student asked me why I didn’t lead any uptem-po music. I mentioned the few songs that we’d added, and he responded, “no…I mean really fast…like over 130 bpm.”

Shew.

He ended up emailing me a link to five songs ranging from 130-144 bpm. I confess it is only till just this past week that I looked up the songs on youtube.

My first obstacle is watching people worship. I don’t understand the need to video the arena worship rock event. The lights and the rest of the visual production don’t draw my attention to God. My attention is fixed on a spectacle.

My second obstacle is the lyrics. Lyrics that fit such fast tempo tend to be overly simple. Of course, there is nothing wrong with simplicity. Some of the simplest things can be the most profound. There is nothing wrong with rehearsing the core truths of the faith. Merton said we will always be beginners—all of us.

The question is if the simplicity serves a consumable good or a transcendent reality. This is where the subjective responses to the songs is apparent. Who I am and how I’m made as a musical creature makes it hard to listen to these super-pop worship songs on the internet and discern if or how they could ever serve my campus ministry. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt though. I remember “Trading My Sorrows” from a long time ago. When did I become too cool to sing and dance to that song? In the right context at the right time, perhaps that song could still be very helpful for my spirit and worship. Likewise, with the right leadership and the right context perhaps any of these super-pop worship songs could move us closer to the presence and likeness of Christ. Perhaps!

The great fear is sentimentality. Milan Kundera’s definition of the kitsch is synonymous with sentimentality: "Kitsch causes two tears to flow in quick succession. The first tear says: How nice to see children running on the grass! The second tear says: How nice to be moved, together with all mankind, by children running on the grass! It is the second tear that makes kitsch kitsch."

Sentimentality, then, is an emotion about having an emotion. Thus my concern about the spectacle of the video performance: is our emotion a reaction to God, his truth and revelation or to the A/V production? But you say, so much good music and film is made with vast amounts of production. Surely Bach’s cantata’s were an enormous production? Again, the question between manipulation and formation is whether the production draws us into the revelation of God, or if we become distracted by the gadgetry of our technology.

The jury is still out for me on the matter of super-pop worship. I confess cynicism and elitism. I want to be a leader who loves his people. My realization is that much of the difference between what the aforementioned student and me is age. If he is 20 years old, that means he was born in 1991. When I was 16 I was listening to Rich Mullins and REM. When he was 16 (only four years ago), he was maybe listening to Linkin Park and the Newsboys’ worship records or some derivations. It is hard to believe that I am a veritable dinosaur…just when I was starting to love playing the electric guitar.

Here is the next layer of the issue at hand: Kundera’s other famous quote about Kitsch: “Kitsch is the inability to admit that shit exists.” Many of my counterparts, leaders my age, have moved beyond anything above 90 bpm in order to avoid kitsch and sentimentality altogether. Yet the Psalms call upon us to shout to the Lord and even to dance and clap our hands. How does their music lead their worshipers into this biblical worship expression? Yes, pop music can be awkward, a prickly pear of an issue. However, we are called to redeem our culture and that means wading into the proverbial shite. At least I know that is what I am called on in the love and service of God and these college students.

U2 is on tour this summer. I'm not a huge fan myself, but another way of getting at my musings above is by asking how many of my college students would even want to go? I know of at least two who did. Another student a few years ago really hit me between the eyes when he referred to U2 as "dad-rock." I'm not a huge fan, but still...I feel old.

*I admit that I may have missed the other, real bands that have affected the sound of super-pop worship. Anybody have suggestions?

In OKC

2011-06-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

It is tough for me to be back here for a few days. In Michigan these past five years I have come to understand Paul's words to the church, "For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus." Just to breathe the air of some of these brothers and sisters brings joy and life. So many of these people have known me for so long and they can remind me of who I have been, see who I am and hope in who I am becoming.

I hope that each of you have this witness of the love of the body of Christ somewhere and somehow.

I'll post some pics when I get home.

Revision and Edit Time!

2011-06-01T21:03:00.003-04:00

I'd set out to not go to bed last night until it was all finished. I only did one 'all-nighter' in college, so at about 2am this morning I went to bed with just one more idea to flesh out. My eyes were blurry and I couldn't see the computer screen well. At least I tried to go to bed. I lay there for two hours feeling giddy about the whole thing. I'm pretty excited to know I am capable of working out some ideas in an extended way like this. I felt pretty much like an idiot all through my undergrad. I remember sitting in my senior seminars wondering what the heck the discussion was about. It took me almost five years to decide to attempt graduate school. I'm just a slow learner that's all.

I wrote my final paragraph, or at least I found the last page this morning. I have a lot more work to do in terms of re-writing and line edits. But I am so much more at ease now knowing that there is no need and no point in reading and developing the essay any further. I kept referring to it as an "essay." It is now 95 single spaced pages. I didn't know what to call it so I keep referring to it as an essay. I'm not officially submitting it as a thesis. That would mean I'd have to pay for 12 credits when I only need 3 more to graduate. In fact the advising of this thing is still up in the air somewhat. I started writing this in earnest last Spring about this time right after Casper was born and have continued with no supervision. That is largely my own fault since I live in Michigan and not British Columbia. I don't know if I would have handled supervision very well anyway. This has been a very personal experience. Eight years to finish a master's degree? Well, it better be really important to me! And I'll add that I felt funny/shy pointing out the considerable length to some people today. Heck this isn't pride pride, this is joyful pride. It has been a privileged journey. Who gets to sit around and read and write at their leisure like this? I am very aware of how the freedom to do this in this way was a gift and sacrifice for Susanna. I don't know who will ever read all these words, but the thrust of the writing is how we might be better at sharing ourselves. So the internet does provide us with the advantage of self-publishing. Below is another bit from the introduction I re-wrote today. Tomorrow I head out with my friend Andy for a couple days of trout fishing. Let the summer begin.

As I invite here an interdisciplinary conversation about the nature of music as poiesis, I am also practicing an extended act of poiesis. Erazim Kohak believes that poiesis is for the night and science, or techne, is for the day. Philosophia is accomplished in the in between at dusk.[1] While I appreciate the elegance of his positioning of philosophy, his definition of poiesis is too associated with the mysterion; it is too apophatic. I would prefer instead to put poiesis at dusk in the in between what is revealed and what is hidden, between the cataphatic and the apophatic. Poiesis is often associated with the notion of culture-making because its Greek origins invoke a kind of making, the drawing together of connections. I believe ‘interdisciplinary’ is another way of talking about the kind of ‘poetic’ creatures we can become, creatures who can make the connections and feel the resonances between things that may have not been associated before. We do not create ex nihilo like God, but in his image we are destined to be creators and we create by putting together the bits and pieces of the cosmos that he has given to us as his good gifts. Poiesis requires of us an ekstasis, a facing outward from ourselves to see and identify those connections. The question for a Christian practice of culture-making is if and to what extent we share ourselves through poiesis.

[1] Erazim Kohak. The Embers and The Stars: A Philosophical Inquiry Into the Moral Sense of Nature (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1984)

I'm At The End Of The Final Section! Here's Another Bit

2011-05-14T11:29:00.002-04:00

A week of staring at a computer screen will make you a little (or a lot) crazy. Susanna has been a trooper. I've had some more time with Casper than regularly. He is a good excuse for a break.

I'm happy to say I must be 10-15 pages from hitting the end. Then I've got a week or so of editing/revising. The hardest thing for me is to not have an immediate audience, a class of students to share these thoughts with, or a good friend to listen. I haven't bothered Susanna this week with any of this. In fact the other night I spent an hour reading through one of her short stories. I had a great phone chat with Will Lightfoot though on Thursday. He is always curious and it was good to hear myself try to verbally rephrase what I've been writing. That was a good exercise--a way to see if I'm making any sense.

But I can't help myself. I need to think/to know NOW that some of these things will matter to other people. I'm sure other grad students do this. Someone tell me I'm not too much of a weirdo. These two excerpts pretty well summarize of what I'm doing:

From IV.ii Revisiting/Re-framing: Dynamic Obstacles

Let me clarify that proper use of technology is not matter of either indwelling or not indwelling the tool or whether it is or is not meditative. It is impossible to use a tool without indwelling it. Tools will always mediate something. We might say that the technologies form us in their image; technologies are not benign; they are not value neutral; technologies not only encourage certain conversations, they can shove us into a narrowed, specific conversation. The question is how we are indwelling the tool and to what end—how richly we engage existence and how our affections are being formed. In Augustinian terms: “Those things which are to be used help, and as it were, sustain us as we move toward blessedness in order that we may gain and cling to those things which make us blessed.” It is as impossible for us to escape technology as it is to escape culture, and to escape culture would be to escape being human. The question isn’t if we are cultural or technological, but how and to what extent. In order to make sure we use our tools instead of being used by our tools, we have to subvert the capacities of technology and reform its power to order our lives and affections for the sake of “blessedness.” Some of us will decide that certain technologies are a waste of time and are not worth the dangers they pose. Others will find great surprise in renegotiating certain technologies and discover capacities and purposes for those tools that may have never been considered previously. Our posture towards technology depends upon the optimism we have theologically about God’s participation in culture, but it also depends on our faithfulness to actively participate in the work of redemption.

From IV.iii The Uniqueness of Music

I have spent many words arguing against the prominence of science. Is it fair to put music on a pedestal or is this just another type of reduction? Homo musicus instead of homo sapien? Is it unfair not only to single music out among all the sciences and humanities, but also unfair to the other arts? I don’t think so. How can I make so bold a claim? The primary uniqueness of music is its universal appeal, its historical and geographical ubiquity. “There have been cultures without counting, cultures without painting, cultures bereft of the wheel or the written word, but never a culture without music.” [1] Remember that music dates back as early as 45,000 B.C. Of course there are some people who don’t enjoy music, but they are rare. Neurologist, Oliver Sacks, writes about musicophilia, our shared love of music:

We humans are a musical species no less than a linguistic one. This takes many different forms. All of us (with very few exceptions) can perceive music, perceive tones, timbre, pitch intervals, melodic contours, harmony, and (perhaps most elementally) rhythm. We integrate all of these and “construct” music in our minds using many different parts of the brain. And to this largely unconscious structural appreciation of music is added an often intense and profound emotional reaction to music. [2]

Sacks explains that neuroscience has discovered how music is continually running in the muscle motor of the brain; we continually have access to songs in our head. While Walker Percy in a thought experiment imagined that visiting Martians would find speech the most peculiar identifying characteristic of humanity, Sacks points to the fiction of Arthur C. Clarke. In Clarke’s novel Childhood Ends the Overlords, curious alien beings, visit earth and identify music as the most distinctive human behavior. Of course I reconcile the two—linguistic and musical impulses—by assuming that the are both of the same outward impulse of homo colloquens/musicus. Homo adorans extends herself into musical conversation; she reaches out to the other for love’s sake. Yet, I do want to specify an elevated place for musical languages—poetry over propositional prose and poesis over sciencia because these preserve the fuller dignity and extravagance of the cosmos and a robust humanism.

[1] John D. Barrow quoted from Begbie, 15.

[2] Oliver Sacks. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007) xi.

ARTS ACTIVISM: SUPPORT Karl Digerness

2011-05-11T09:57:00.004-04:00

SUPPORT Karl Digerness's Forthcoming Album of Hymn Arrangements

I met Karl last Summer at a Calvin College event. John Witvliet, the director of Calvin's Institute of Christian Worship, invited fifty or so worship leaders and musicians from all around the country to discuss setting Psalms to worship. Karl was at a lunch table with a few of us who ended up sitting there for a couple hours longer than we should have. It was a refreshing conversation with some other fairly like minded worship leaders. I say "fairly" because I don't want to assume too much, but any chance to get to know worship leaders under the age of 40 who play guitars yet who are also leery of being caught up in and also lost in the worship gin mills--that is encouraging.

Karl is based at City Church in San Fransisco. He's near some incredible musical resources. Namely he's been able to regularly hire a composer to work with, Minna Choi of the Magik*Magik Orchestra. And Karl is recording at Tiny Telephone, John Vaderslice's highly coveted recording studio.

I asked Karl if I could steal some of his sheet music and he hooked me up with a sizable stash of material. Alas, I'm still on the learning/recruiting curve of regularly incorporating strings. So I haven't been able to draw upon these arrangements yet. I'm very excited to hear what he comes up with and to see what we can learn from this project!

Many people these days are hip to the www.kiva.org type opportunities to financially give globally. Susanna and I love Kiva and the concept of microlending. Of course I am also thrilled with the food revolution, community supported agriculture, urban farming--local environmental activism in all its forms (PLUG: I'm on the advisory committee of our CSA, Eighth Day Farm). However, I dream of a time when we could be even half as enthusiastic about selfless support of the arts, financial support not from the elite corporate charities and grants but from the rest of us. What would it mean if the middle class was involved in arts activism? What would have to shift in our values and priorities? What would shift in our culture? And for the Church, how would arts activism open possibilities for our Christian witness?

Check out Karl's Indie Go Go promotional page here. He's got some nice goodies for those who contribute.

Walker Percy on Violence and Alienation

2011-05-10T11:14:00.001-04:00

I'm back at this comprehensive paper. Almost finished with section three. Then on to the final fourth section and lots of revisions and editing. Publishing an excerpt here will perhaps help me believe that this this is really almost finished (and it serves as a distraction). Can't say that I wasn't jealous of all those seniors who graduated on Sunday. It feels good to finish things.

I've selected this bit to share in light of the assassination of bin Laden. I've been struggling to decide what I think about it. Yes I feel a sense of relief, but should I? I was sick in bed at the end of last week with bronchitis and watched Die Hard on Netflix. I felt emotionally worn out afterwards and the next day. I'm not a pacifist, but I wonder if I'm getting close.

My overall argument in the essay is that music at its best draws people together. The argument that follows this section below is that in popular culture we largely use the technology of music according our fallen nature, to separate and alienate rather than to draw near and commune. Admittedly popular music is capable of drawing particular crowds, but how easy is it to gather a crowd? Instead, how difficult is it to form a communion of beings, a fellowship of saints?

.............................................................

Comprehensive Paper To Be Submitted to Regent College

For the Completion of the Masters In Christians Studies

Interdisciplinary Studies

By Joshua Banner

From Section Three: Obstacles of Communion

Walker Percy is as insightful into the human condition as any. He articulates alarmingly the questions surrounding what has been known as the “Age of Anxiety.” He wrestles with the conundrums of modern existence, “why does man feel so sad in the twentieth century?” And he follows it with several pages of similar revealing questions.

Why does man feel so sad in the very age when, more than in any other age, he has succeeded in satisfying his needs and making over the world to his own use?

Why has man entered on an orgy of war, murder, torture, and self-destruction unparalleled in history and in the very century which he had hoped to see the dawn of universal peace and brotherhood?

Why do people often feel bad in good environments and good in bad environments?

Why do people often feel so bad in good environments that they prefer bad environments?

Why does a man often feel better in a bad environment?

Why is a man apt to feel bad in a good environment, say, suburban Short Hills, New Jersey, on an ordinary Wednesday afternoon?

Why is the same man apt to feel good in a very bad environment, say an old hotel on Key Largo during a hurricane?

Why have more people been killed in the twentieth century than in all other centuries put together?

Why is war man’s greatest pleasure?

Why is man the only creature that wages war against its own species?[1]

This list of questions continues on for some eight pages as Percy subversively rants about the poverty of our existence. It would not be possible for us to alienate and exploit each other if there was not within us a common thread of violent unrest. Lasch seems to acknowledge this violence in his sporadic reference to Thomas Hobbes’ reflections on a “war of all against all,” a state of nature where persons have retreated from the culture’s institutional supports. Lasch anticipates this as an understandable reaction to our “overorganized society” with its bureaucracy, its medical sophistication, and psychiatry that can foster a deeper animosity than the raw wilderness of a world Hobbes intended government to preserve us from.[2]

At the end of Percy’s list he restates his primary question: “why is it that scientists have a theory of everything under the sun but do not have a theory of man?” With all of our ‘overorganization’ and sophistication, violence—how we cut ourselves off from each other—turns out to be the most distinct example of our alienation. According to Erazim Kohak’s description of the modern condition, “Grief and remorse are reflected from [the artifacts of modern civilization], ever reinforced, until the human, crazed by pain, strikes out and kills those around him or himself, or both.”[3] The violence of the twentieth century has left us with little optimism and no ability to identify a coherent, unifying theory about ourselves. We can only agree on what is rhetorically present in Percy’s questions, that we are alienated, that what we share most is our isolation, our tendency to separate and even kill.

[1] Walker Percy. Message In A Bottle. 3,4.

[2] Christopher Lasch. Culture of Narcissism. 49.

[3] Erazim Kohak. From the Embers to the Sky. 45.

Pics From the Final Gathering May 1, 2011

2011-05-06T09:36:00.002-04:00

Final Gathering Set List & Further Thoughts on Rock vis a vis P&W

2011-05-03T15:03:00.003-04:00

It is Tuesday after the final Gathering Service, our final worship service of 2010-2011. To the right here is the order of service. I had two students email and ask for it and thought others might want to remember with us.

A comparative retrospective for my journey in these things:

I remember experiencing worship services back in Oklahoma that took us to a place in God's presence, a kind of hope-filled unity and gladness of being that moved beyond what I could have conceived in my own imagination. We were somewhat a Charismatic congregation. Songs were not very thoroughly arranged. We'd rehearse six or eight and in the service might only do four of them, or we might jump into a song we hadn't planned initially at all. The lights were low in a converted warehouse. We sought an interior space to be aware to God's nearness. There wasn't a tight schedule. If I remember correctly, music was usually around 30 minutes or so. There was no rush.

This was the finish of my fifth year here at Hope College. In contrast to what I was doing in Oklahoma: here, a Dutch Reformed tradition but a campus ministry that is decidedly ecumenical; an aged, well lit, gorgeous cathedral-like worship space; a contemporary service that is attempting to include the more deliberate liturgical movements of the Reformed tradition while still being highly accessible to college students (I wrote more thoroughly about this HERE); chapels are 22 minutes; Sunday evening services are 70-75 minutes.

All I want to say (for now) about this comparison is that this final Gathering Service, for my journey/learning curve, brought together so much of both modes of leading. I experienced a continuity between my present and past, some 15+ years of trying to understand worship music in the contemporary context. Today, two days after the event, I'm still absorbing the experience. I'm sure I'll be learning from it all summer and for years to come.

This final picture is not from this recent service. I don't have any pics from that evening yet. This is Jacob and me a month or so ago introducing the service like we did this Sunday night except this Sunday Lauren and Angelee joined us. If I'm going to go huge with the big, anthemic rock songs and the more 'bubble gum' pop music sounds, then I'm looking for more ways to work against that American addiction to sensationalization--more silence, more opportunities to hear the congregation sing 'un-plugged.' Incidentally that is also why I've put so much more energy into the Gospel Choir and the few of the Blue Grass sounds.

Further Thoughts on Rock vis a vis P&W

Here's some more thoughts in regard to my last post...specifically some thoughts Tamara was responding to in the comments section.

Sorry for the pretension of quoting myself, but I enjoy continuing conversations. So to continue that conversation I had said:

"What if we had worship song writers who were deeply rooted in rock music who were as equally formed by Christian spiritual disciplines and were even Biblically and theologically literate? What would those songs sound like?"

These thoughts aren't directed squarely to Tamara. I'm using the opportunity to expand on larger concerns.

The issue both artistically and spiritually is a question of being rooted in tradition. Most of us don't like tradition or we are at least indifferent. We prefer to be raw and authentic and present to who we perceive ourselves to truly be. The trouble is that we are thus myopic and (perhaps unwittingly) arrogant. Why should we suppose that our present, authentic self is the best we can attain? There is a rich tradition of people who have worked hard to identify the best of human existence and the best of worship and art practices. We should want to draw from these predecessors and learn from them. Further, an ahistorical posture is just wrong. We are influenced by those who've gone before us whether we acknowledge it or not. There's no such thing as a self-made man.

How can I get the best tone out of my electric guitar without having heard what the the great innovators have done? How can I understand what good literature is if I have not read Dostoevsky? How can I understand the sacrament if I haven't considered what Luther had to say about it?

There is no way for me to understand electric guitars, the novel, or the Bible on my own merit. Someone had to teach me.

This is the reason why I was able to make the jump from an independent, somewhat Charismatic church to the Dutch Reformed context I serve in now. My education had already led me to believe in the importance of living out of a tradition. However, I had not had the opportunity to appropriate and participate in a Christian tradition. I am now substantially more rooted in my faith through the creeds and practices of the Reformed church. There is much that can be said about that. I've written about the value of a historical Christian witness in the blog and other places.

One way to understand the importance of tradition is to consider again what I'm arguing about why contemporary church musicians needs to well versed, deeply rooted in the "tradition" rock music. The trouble is that the "tradition" of rock music is relatively short, disparate and multiform. So take a step further back and think about a piano student who ends up pursuing classical studies in piano performance. She will no doubt need to learn Mozart, Chopin, Schumann and so on. It would be unthinkable for her to truly be a piano student without this training. I'm suggesting that if a contemporary church musicians will likewise be impoverished if his/her only sonic references are from within the vacuum of last 10-15 years of the musical genre that we have come to market as "Praise & Worship." There is a much larger musical conversation that has been going on and continues within a kind of "tradition" of pop rock music. If the church is going to borrow from that tradition, then it should know something about it.

Here a key point: this is not just a question of how we know the pop rock tradition to imitate it or to make music that attains a certain level of integrity, a kind of cultural currency. My point is that if we know more about the tradition, we will also be more equipped to discern what of it is appropriate for our worshiping congregations and what is not. We will be less likely to naively imbibe popular culture and promote sounds that can compromise our fundamental mission of making disciples of Jesus Christ. We will be more capable of critiquing and redeeming.

The Soil & The Sun

2011-04-23T11:12:00.001-04:00

I just sent Michael Kaufmann of Asthmatic Kitty seven tracks from the Ordinary Neighbors recordings to get some feedback. He was one of the FFM judges. I've worked with him to book a few of their bands here at Hope College. Michael reminded me of bandcamp.com. I just looked up the Grand Rapids band, the Soil & the Sun who we've had here on campus a few times as well. A few years ago we sold out an Anathallo show at the Knickerbocker Theater. Then Anathallo stopped playing shows. My first crass thought was that the Soil & the Sun could fill the void left by Anathallo. I love promoting local bands even more than the national tours. It is great to see locals and the independents succeed. That comparison between the two bands was too easy since it is just a matter of observing that both bands have a stage filled with people (what? 6 to 9? I've seen S & S in various configurations), both bands bust into large, anthemic moments with several players on various drums. While these obvious similarities may be true, I have to move beyond my initial impulse of relating one band to another. I tend to frustrate artists with these knee jerk typological tendencies. Alex and his wife with the bass player came to here us play the pizza joint a few weeks ago. Jacob had called them last second on a whim to invite. Anyway, their music is so good and they are so kind, the least I can do is give them a big, hearty congratulations for doing what they do. I think what is most stunning is their dynamic range moving from very intimate, lyricism to intense, rage-filled lamentation. Oh, and the beats. Two drummers (for them at least) is the deal.

BUY their music here at their bandcamp site.

I just listened to that EP twice.

Here is a pic by the great Chris Cox of the Soil & the Sun playing Jacob Bullard's (who I mentioned in a previous post) CD release show at Dimnent Chapel. Click on the pic to see the full width.

Rock n' Roll vs Praise & Worship

2011-04-20T23:10:00.003-04:00

I attended a Seder Meal earlier this evening with several families that was delightful. The dinner was inspired and organized by a new friend, Joesph, a local music minister at Zion Lutheran. He studied at the Dominican Center in GR and also serves as a spiritual director. Joseph has been gifting me various kinds of choral music via iTunes downloads. His latest gift was The Hillard Ensemble's Perotin, the best I've heard yet of his picks. Unfortunately, all I have to send him back are various odds and ends. I think he really dug one track from Jonsi & Alex's Riceboy Sleeps though.

The meal consisted of an attempt at the traditional Jewish kosher meal with lamb, eggs, salad and matzah. However, there was also bratwurst, chicken, beef and 'gentile' wines. The experience demonstrated how Jesus' instructions to eat his body and drink his blood fit into the context of the original passover celebration. Several families sitting on the floor around some battery powered candles (safety precaution with so many kids), grape juice/manischewitz and some buckets of water to cleanse our hands with. We danced and sang some. The kids all had various instruments to shake and beat on. Good times.

I didn't know I'd have such a beautiful group of friends and families like this a year ago. Thanks be to God.

Susanna is downstairs with her women's group. Casper is asleep despite his first ear infection. I just finished the second half of the Bourne Identity which I'd started last night. Why do I like these movies? Geesh, I'm such a dude.

Now I'm thinking about the worship team audition process that is almost coming to a close.

We've auditioned just over 50 people in order to recruit nine, the largest group I've ever had to recruit before. We've heard: 27 young ladies, 10 drummers, 4 bass players, 2 acoustic guitar players, 4 keyboard players, 4 on electric guitar...no zithers, didgeridoos or auto harps though (joke). We follow up each initial audition with call backs for a smaller set of prospects. Of those people, each is personally interviewed by myself and separately by students from the worship team. By interview I mean we take each potential recruit out for coffee and try to get to know them better and answer any questions they have about what they'd be getting themselves into. Its a rigorous process but I believe in starting things well. Each recruit knows exactly why we've recruited him/her and each has a sense of their strengths and also their weaknesses. I want each to know his/her place and be ready to eagerly participate in the kind of relational give and take that makes up the substance of our worship life. I don't just want warm bodies behind various instruments and microphones. I want a deeply committed family of worshipers who are capable of giving and receiving love as we in turn love God together. When it is all said and done, I don't want to graduate students who can put on a worship event. I want to graduate lovers of God, friend and neighbor.

One of the things I find myself talking about a lot right now is the difference between 'Praise & Worship' and Rock. The bubble burster is that I don't want P&W. We must attempt the full spectrum of Biblical worship (which I've written about HERE). We do more than 'Praise Music.' We are not a 'Praise Band.' Unfortunately, local churches in an attempt to make sounds that attract younger people have ended up making a kind of music that has a strained and confused relation to the pop music it is attempting to resemble. For example, consider the electric drum kit, an piece of technology primarily designed only for churches. It is understandable on one level. I don't want to be mean about this. These churches are trying to make contemporary sounds that don't overwhelm the many ages represented in their congregations. They are looking for tame sounds that would otherwise be sonically bombastic in their worship spaces. However, the trouble is that an electric drum kit can never serve to create anything close to something that might resemble music (in my admittedly snobbish opinion). And there are similar instruments that are marketed to the church electric guitar player or especially the keyboard player. So we end up with a sonic palate that is a caricature of rock music. It's like the difference between Velveeta and a good aged white sharp cheddar, Cool Whip and homemade whip cream, Near Beer and Guinness, a planetarium and a clear, un-polluted night's sky out in the farmland where I grew up.

Umberto Ecco describes much of American culture as a kind of mausoleum of imitations, what he calls ‘hyper-reality.’ We are content with wax museums and Disneyland, television and Hollywood. The philosophy “is not, ‘we are giving you the reproduction so that you will want the original,’ but rather, ‘We are giving you the reproduction so that you will no longer feel the need for the original.’”[1] Unfortunately, the church is just as busy offering imitations as the rest of American popular culture.

I understand that it is unfair to over describe the efforts of very well intentioned church people. I don't mention these things to breed cynicism or elitism. I love the church with its warts hoping that it will love me with mine. So understand these observations for the sake of a much larger conversation that is necessary in the church--a conversation I'm outlining in my master's thesis.

Instead of asking how we can persuade younger people to stay in churches and approaching contemporary music as a set of whistles and bells to keep them coming back, popular music requires much more care and respect, discernment and effort. I'm interested in finding musicians who enjoy and want to play rock music but who are also willing and able to lay their gifts and instruments--their lives before God. The task is to disciple these worship teams, help them put on the life of Christ, to be lovers of the scriptures and people of prayer, to share this love of Christ off the stage so that when we come to rehearsal, the Life of Christ dwells in us in a way that forms and informs what and how we play our instruments. Discerning culture may requires some classroom learning (I enjoy teaching my class on these things) but in practice, redeeming the musical aesthetics of our day requires an 'internal dialectic' (ala L. Newbigin) where it is the renewed inner self that negotiates the application of the love of Christ to the sound of a played drum kit in real time practice and not in abstract ideals.

Thus my soapbox: I don't sense that the church has yet taken popular music seriously enough. Some are going part of the way with various subversive attempts at modern hymn writing that is fleshed out in folk and folk rock tunes. I appreciate these efforts, but I still believe there is more that can be done musically and textually with the musical "container of worship," as one well know worship leader has phrased it. That particular worship leader (sorry, I don't have permission to make his/her comments public) claims that in pop music, melody is of first concern while in hymnody, text is paramount. I can see his/her point, yet that is a pretty thin view of hymnody--perhaps a bit condescending to boot. I'll wager a guess that the hymn composers over the centuries were very keen to write what seemed to them and their contemporaries compelling tunes. And it seems like an underestimation of popular music too. To narrow it down to pop music/melody versus hymns/text is a false dichotomy, an over simplification.

What if we had worship song writers who were deeply rooted in rock music who were as equally formed by Christian spiritual disciplines and were even Biblically and theologically literate? What would those songs sound like?

[1] Eco, Umberto. Travels in Hyperreality (London: Harvest/ Harcourt, Inc. 1986) 19.

TWO WEEKS?

2011-04-16T20:38:00.003-04:00

I'd like to feel comfortable with public cursing, but I don't. Some have decided to get away with "eff" this and "eff" that. I've always hated any reference to that word. So painful and harsh to my ears and heart, yet on a rare occasion its potent and somewhat helpful in getting a point across. So here goes:

Panda Bear's Tomboy. Eff!

Sonlux's We Are Rising. Eff!

Two weeks left of the semester? Eff!

Sometimes good things sneak up on you in such a surprising way that there isn't much to say. I love how Annie Dillard discourages us from naming these things too quickly in her essay "Total Eclipse." Yes yes, I believe that language is essential to our being in the world. Experience comes with language. Yet if we run too quickly to put verbal or written words in place to describe our thoughts, we are discrediting the language of that initial conversation...as cheesy as the early spring sunset, the great book you just finished, that meal your wife just served up, the movie that knocked you out, the concert, the song, the poem..... If we put prose to it too quickly, we haven't really been listening. We've just been waiting our turn to speak. [yes, these are ideas I've lifted out of my master's thesis]

So why the heck am I writing right now during my first listen through Tomboy? I guess I'm trying to pretend that one or more of you are here with me taking it in. I don't want to name it, but such things are better shared.

You can listen to Sonlux for awhile longer here at NPR's music page.

With great affection to you, jb

PEACE

Post FFM - Bandspotting etc.

2011-04-10T14:53:00.001-04:00

I guess I didn't post the news on the blog here. Maybe I did. Can't remember. Ordinary Neighbors placed in the top five for Calvin's Festival of Faith and Music this year. That meant that we got two tracks on the festival's compilation disc and we played an 'Around the Town' concert last evening in East Town Grand Rapids. Check it out HERE.

Despite a somewhat cranky business owner and a small venue, our performance went well considering we don't get out to play often. It was a risk to try and cram in rehearsals with Larry (synths/nord) and Jacob (electric) but having them join us helped me feel like we were leaning the performance toward something that sounds more like the forthcoming record. Such great guys and intuitive musicians. The concert was well attended by Hope College students, church friends, GR friends, festival attendees and one big families' birthday party for their toddler. We got a free pizza. The business owner ended up being quite nice and and gave us some free pizza, which was amazing.

Please take a second and check out Jacob Bullard. He's graduating this Spring and going to try to make a go with his own music. It is a joy and sadness to get to play with students like Jacob. As Trygve said last weekend, when you work at a college you fall in love often and get your heart broken often. I love Jacob and his music and you should too...his music at least.

One great surprise and kind gift that the FFM offered me was a chance to finally meet Wen Regan. Wen discovered my earlier recordings way back when and has been one of the good people who has sent me encouraging and generous words about my music over the years. He is now a PhD student at Duke and was presenting an academic paper at the festival. Wen is a talented songwriter, singer and home recordist. You can get his album for free at noise trade.

The FFM overall was again a good time. I'm incredibly thankful for Ken Hefner, his vision and the years of his persistence in not only bringing good music to W. Michigan but hosting thoughtful, discerning conversations about music and culture. He introduced many of us to Pedro the Lion in 2000 at the Festival of Faith and Writing (when the two fests were one). I was thinking this weekend that much of what I've been trying to do with the arts was largely defined by what I experienced at that event. I'm not a huge fan of what's become of David Bazan, but thanks to Ken, in 2000 I witnessed in that festival a faith community giving one of the best songwriters of our time a platform and an 'amen.' I later gave Susanna Pedro's Control as an example of the kind of truth telling art that the church needs as a witness, such a revealing mirror to hold up to itself and our society:

The impact, the aftershave, the european cigarettes
The taxi, the alcohol that lingers on your breath
The lipstick, the street lamp, the woolen overcoat
The front desk, you tell yourself, it isn't over yet

Second best, oh second best
I can learn to live with this
Plus I really need a rest
After all what's wrong with second best
What's wrong with second best

Some of my favorite moments of the festival were simply hearing Ken muse about previous concerts Calvin has hosted, their meaningfulness and their intersection with faith...Ben Harper, Sigur Ros et al. Oh geesh, I still ache for the frustration he felt over losing the chance to host the New Pornographers last Fall. I also really, really enjoyed Matisyahu even though he didn't perform with a full band. I would have appreciated if he'd come out with an established set list. The cat calls for this and that song wore me out, but nevertheless it was a magical event.

IN OTHER NEWS....

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Susanna and I and Hope College in regard to my last post. It is awkward trying to figure out how much to share on a blog. While things can get frightfully dark and scary there is a greater strength to draw upon. Grace is always abundant in times of suffering because Christ is by definition gracious.

This past week we received a final print draft of Susanna's manuscript of Entering the House of Awe to be published by New Issues press out of Western Michigan. They make really beautiful books and have proven to be very supportive.

Three more Gathering services for the '10-'11...tonight, the 17th and then May 1st. Tonight will be the last time Team Y plays together. Next week the last for Team X and then the graduating seniors join for final service. Wow.

We are also in the middle of auditioning the new recruits for next year...nine new spots. When it is all said and done, we will have auditioned close to 50 people. Wow again. It is intimidating to think of how much turnover we are going to have, but it is also pretty exciting too. Each new recruit is like a new present we open and see what happens. It is always an experience of goodness.

Spring Break to an End

2011-03-25T20:18:00.001-04:00

It is hard to say how much pain is surrounding us. The death of Jennifer Young Tait was the last and largest of punches to the gut after carrying the weight of four year old boys with cancer, other professors with brain tumors, friends in hip surgery, basketball stars collapsing and passing with enlarged hearts, families being torn apart, uncles with failing organs, grandfathers who die of old age, moms with baby girls getting hit on ice covered streets, middle school girls with seizures, me crashing our car.... I'm forgetting some but it may perhaps be good to forget even if for the evening.

A few weeks ago I led a chapel on lamentation as part of Lent. I'd planned on the topic a month prior when the string of tragedies had only barely begun. I usually don't post my chapel talks. This one is not necessarily ground breaking in profundity. But here it is.

I'm out at a cottage on Lake Michigan for my last night. The sun has just set. I sat by a window on the second floor with the sun bearing down. I wanted to pretend it was the warmth of Mexico or Florida, but Holland MI is where I am. Despite tragedy I still taste goodness.

I've been reading and writing all week. Almost done with section three of four of my final research for my degree. With all the pain, I'm still blessed with the leisure to think and contemplate. I can sense my insides growing. A quickening. More capacity. I guess that is the best a vacation can offer.

Our Two Songs for Calvin's FFM Band Spoting

2011-03-05T16:04:00.001-05:00

As per my last post and the two songs we submitted for the competition, you can listen to the songs HERE.

The top five bands get included in this year's Festival of Faith and Music compilation that all festival attendees receive. The top winner gets to play a concert. It's a pretty fun thing overall and I'm thankful that Calvin does things like this. You should all check out the fest and consider coming.

Western Freedom & How We All Want An Audience

2011-02-28T23:53:00.002-05:00

I’ve been watching Exit Through the Gift Shop on Netflix with Susanna. She just fell asleep, so I’ve turned here to offer an update. I caught a bit of the Oscar bug last night just clicking around and seeing what was being covered via live streaming. I wanted to watch the main event itself so much that I started wondering if I should actually hook up the TV’s antenna. Hmmm? I just discovered all the hype about this Banksy character. Seems like someone I probably should have known about already. I have to admit there is something compelling about this new wave of street art. I’m no anarchist, but the film appeals to that part of me that wants to be naughty, rogue, outlaw, underground, sneaky, hidden—whatever you want to call it. I think all of us have wanted to have this kind of freedom, to be lawless and yet somehow still a really good person. It ends up being a kind of morality wrought out of our own created sense of self. The film is an interesting case study of what we believe it means to be free in Western Civilization today. Makes me think of that line from Richard Rorty—something about how we are no longer pioneers and explorers but artists and poets. The part of his argument that burned a hole in me when I heard it discussed in college some 15 years ago was about how ‘truth’ is an adjective not a noun. Pragmatism. Our therapeutic culture that defers so politely and yet so viciously to our respective perspectives. Every one is entitled to an opinion. Such pluralism helped me out once when the homosexual, wicca witch who waited tables with me responded to my views on chastity by saying, “Well, it is just his culture. He doesn’t know any better.” Hope College students should be familiar with these ideas because of Trygve’s regular references to Christian Smith’s writing that defines today’s youth culture by its “therapeutic, moralistic deism.”

Oh, and there is some really good art in the film too. I like the film so far if only to see some of the creative process of these artists.

Speaking of creative processes, today I finally took the risk and sent some of the Ordinary Neighbors tracks out to be heard. Just two songs but still, it was a big step for me. John Erskine has been a great help with the mastering. I haven’t wanted to pay for mastering piece meal since I don’t know what this project will become. But I’ve also been anxious to hear some of it with some of these final touches.

We ended up bouncing the final stereo pair to my trusty old Otari 5050 ½ inch 8 track. The songs started on analog tape to begin with and now they have a much better sonic center after going back to tape. I was really excited about how they were sounding in the studio. But then when I got them home I began to fret and pick them apart. Susanna and John think I’m being obsessive and of course I am. I’ve told so many other artists, we have to let die the fantasy art that is floating around in our heads and pay attention to the art that is actually happening in front of us. And this is surely how I’ve gotten this far with these songs, but it is so hard to pry my white knuckled hands off the songs and let them live. I swore after my second solo record that I would to learn how to make a record that I could actually enjoy personally. That was 2001. Ten years and I don’t think I’ve accomplished this yet. I’m not sure I’ll really enjoy listening to the songs once they are assembled on a CD. But it has been a crazy fun journey. I like fiddling around in recording studios. The experience is literally a certain amount of losing your mind that is somehow enjoyable.

Yet creative process aside I believe that any artist is not being completely honest who says she is making the art only for herself—that she doesn’t care about an audience. She may or may not be telling a lie outright. Perhaps she just doesn’t yet know how to accept that tender part of herself. Every human being wants an audience. The question is how big does the audience have to be? When is enough enough?

This weekend John Erskine was my audience as he worked to master the tracks, and it was satisfying, a good shot in the arm. He’s heard a lot of music in his life. He’s made a lot of music. And for a few days he cared for my music. And that was nice.

*I wish I could find a bigger picture of my tape machine. This is my avatar for the two pro audio forms that I visit regularly, tapeop.com and gearslutz.com

4 Live Tracks My Brightest Diamond From Spring '09

2011-02-02T21:21:00.002-05:00

I should have mixed these a long time ago. So good. I'm putting these up here temporarily to promote the concert tomorrow night. This my first time using SoundCloud. I don't know if you'll be able to download. I'm doing this tentatively since I didn't ask Shara if I could distribute. I don't think she'd mind?
If there is enough demand, I'll ask Shara tomorrow for permission to set these up for download.

01 The Ice & The Storm - MBD LIVE Hope College Spring '09 by bannerj
02 Disappear - MBD LIVE Hope College Spring '09 by bannerj
03 Inside A Boy - MBD LIVE Hope College Spring '09 by bannerj
04 I'm Feeling Good - MBD LIVE Hope College Spring '09 by bannerj

Bohoeffer quote of the day

2011-01-25T16:35:00.001-05:00

I've been thesis-ing today. Somewhat productive. Truly.

We must never speak one-dimensionally of God, but rather in terms of statement and rejoinder, or point-counterpoint. For we must remember that God can absolutely never be captured even in the grasp of a dialectical mode of expression. Real dialectic is humble. It contrasts statement with rejoinder and knows that the truth lies beyond this mode of expression in the imperceptible center. God remains free in relation to the dialectic.[1]

[1] Quoted in Huntemann, Georg. The Other Bonhoeffer: An Evangelical Reassessment of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1989) 35. This is Huntemann’s translation of the Gesammelte Schriften.

Heroes & Monsters

2011-01-09T10:21:00.001-05:00

Huge, fat snow flakes falling outside. Susanna and I become members of Crossroads Church this morning.

And this morning I'm particularly troubled by the news of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' shooting.

I love this other bit of news about how the congresswoman's new intern of five days ran toward the gunfire and most likely saved her life.

Yet, we also live in a world where this is possible:

Chris Cox Photography

2010-12-30T23:35:00.001-05:00

Chris Cox is a Junior at Hope College and a friend. He did design and layout for the last two years of our worship CDs. Please check out his site. He took a series of pics of our family at home and also a few for Susanna. I recommend his work highly.

Below are pics of us from Jacob Bullard's CD release party (Sus and I opened for Soil & the Sun who opened for Jacob and his band), Susanna (most likely will be promo for her new book due out next Fall), the fam and Casper.

A Couple Blog Responses: Nudity? Arts Ministry?

2010-12-18T17:31:00.002-05:00

Here are a few responses to some blogs. Both have to do with David Taylor. Do I not believe that David can speak for himself? Of course! David is not a man of few words! LOVE you DT! He is astute, working on his PhD, and has several more books in him I'm sure. So, why do I bother? I love these conversations and can't resist. I believe that I'm going to learn some things by these interactions. Also, I've been emboldened by James K.A. Smith's review of the recently published, Hipster Christianity. He's pretty rough on the author Brett McCracken. I think that if Brett and I had an acquaintance, we could be good friends, yet Jamie's spanking of him is somewhat justified. Brett spends so much time pointing the finger that he seems ignorant that "the smeller's the feller," or "it takes one to know one." I'm letting myself be emboldened because the stakes are high with these discussions on faith and culture. These things matter.

I'll note that I don't presume to have the training or credentials to be brash in Jamie Smith's manner. Any of you are welcome to hold me accountable to writing/thinking/speaking as a brother coming alongside others. Let me know if my tone becomes patronizing. There is much to be learned about healthy internet discourse.

Two responses below: first on the question of nudity in film, the second in defense of the mission of 'art ministry." Both flow out of responses from other people to videos posted by The Gospel Coalition of DT presenting at a church planting conference.

In this video David is offering pastors a few recommendations on novels and films they might benefit from. David put the video it on his blog and a few people had trouble with his recommendation of P.T. Anderson's Magnolia especially because of the nudity (very brief yet graphic). I'm looking forward to David's response.

My response:

This is truly a David Taylor kind of forum discussion! Love it.
My (unsolicited) 2 cents:
* I'd warn against any black and white on the topic of nudity. The Bible gives us wisdom but it will lead us each to various convictions. Insert here Paul's dictum used in 1 Corinthians, "all things are lawful but not all things are profitable." This is a scary thing for Christian brothers and sisters to accept, that what I am called to you may not be called to.
*I'd also caution against an overuse of the Incarnation to defend this issue or the arts in general willy nilly. I'm not saying the Incarnation doesn't have bearing here. Yet we have to be careful in how quick we ascribe something true about God (becoming human) to what we believe to be true about humanity. We have to maintain a distinction between us and God. See J. Begbie edited collection of essays, Beholding the Glory: Incarnation and the Arts.
*We also need to be careful in our viewing/reading/art imbibing habits. While some of us might find merit in a movie like Magnolia, I don't think it should be part of our regular 'diet.' Yes, I believe God can speak through such things, but he can speak much more plainly through the Scriptures.
*While Magnolia is a favorite of mine, I don't recommend it to people unless I know them well. In the video David is recommending the film for pastors and lay leaders who are wanting to broaden their understanding of culture and art. For a film like this to be 'profitable,' the viewer needs the maturity and training to discern the film carefully. Such a film requires not just the discernment of one person or pastor, but a good dialogue like the one here on this blog between all you good people.
*I'd also suggest that the issue of the body is much more of a poignant issue in dance than in film. Those of us working to discern such things need a theology of our bodies. Film is too close and loaded for most of us. A theology 'through the art' of dance would freshen and better frame and therefore inform questions about the body as depicted in film.
*Personally, I am more concerned about our lack of discernment in the area of violence in film. For example, why don't more Christians show concern about Peter Jackson's embellishments of war in his adaptations of the Tolkien books? My review of Showtime's Dexter is here: http://www.valpo.edu/cresset/2010/Lent/Banner_L10.html
*I watch most films with my wife. She is pretty good at helping me in the moment discern what parts of the body I shouldn't see...with her hand over my eyes!

In this other video David is talking about arts ministry at large. Here on The Gospel Coalition's site several people expressed grave skepticism about the purpose and merit of ministering to artists. These comments cut deep, yet in my response I'm truly attempting to build bridges. We'll see.

My response:

I’m an arts pastor involved in campus ministry. I’m also a contributor to David Taylor’s collection of essays. I’ve read through the comments here and want to attempt a response because we so much want to have these conversations with those of you in the church at large. After all, the book was written out of love for the body of Christ (tile: For the Beauty of the Church) and a desire to see the Kingdom of God advanced. We are not trying to put artists on a pedestal or to pit art over and above the Gospel.
First, there are many quick judgments here. I can’t help but think that you are not reacting to David so much as connecting him to other trends in the church that you’ve become confused or alarmed by. There has been lots of talk about the arts. In my estimation, the arts have become awkwardly trendy for Evangelicals. That is perhaps one of the reasons why the book was put together–to develop a more robust conversation about the arts that might serve the faithful, Gospel work of the local church pastor (David and I both come from precious work in the local church).
I encourage you to read the book. Many of your reactions here are in response to a five minute video. I don’t think many of you would like your ministries to be judged based on a five minute visit to your church. Give the book a chance. David assembled a very astute group of authors of which I am the least.
Second, I’m confused by the dualism inherent in most of these posts. The underlying assumption is that ‘culture-making’ is an optional project. We don’t have a choice whether we make culture or not. All of us daily produce culture; we practice the ordering of creation. The question is not if we are engaged in art and culture as the church, the question is how and to what extent we bring our art/culture engagement under the Lordship of Christ and how brightly his love, truth, beauty, justice shine through us.
Why the emphasis on arts ministry in the local church? Because we are trying to compensate for this kind of dualism that separates how the kingdom of God is established on earth “as it is in heaven.” If we evangelicals had a more developed theology of culture, we would not need ‘arts pastors.’ I’ll add that not all of us involved in arts ministry are naive ‘transformationalists.’ While I have hope for these things, I also understand the ultimate work of transformation is God’s alone. I teach a nuanced approach, cautious yet hopeful, “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” because we are “sheep among wolves.”
Finally, my emphasis on the arts is precisely out of concern for discipleship. If we don’t practice cultural discernment and champion good Christians in the arts, then we will be handing our people over to “the wolves,” to blindly to imbibe and co-opt cultural forms that compromise the Gospel. For example, contrary to your assumptions, many of us are involved in arts ministry because we are very concerned about aesthetic values of ‘the cool’ and ‘the sexy’ and want to steer the church away from hipster attempts to compete with popular culture.
grace and peace of Christ to you!

Monsoon Malabar

2010-12-12T09:46:00.001-05:00

Susanna and I have been reading a lot lately. We finished Tim Winton’s The Shallows finally and then busted through Edgar Sawtell and are two thirds through Cold Mountain. There has been a few mentions of characters drinking coffee—descriptions of making coffee, holding the hot cups—that I’ve been wondering about how to find that same powerful, nostalgic moment in my days.

One morning this past week I made the perfect cup of Monsoon Malabar with the Clever Coffee gizmo. I realized how good it was as I was driving down College Ave to school. I was rushed in getting there and had to suck away quickly. I missed the kind of calm, solitary, watchful coffee drinking I’d been reading about. Cold morning. Wrapped up in warm clothes. Gripping the mug. But I kept thinking about the amazing balance of that brew. Hot. Strong. But not so strong that I couldn’t appreciate the roast of the bean.

Yesterday morning—Saturday—I went to church at 9:30AM to rehearse my role as narrator for this year’s Christmas play. My consolation of giving up my Saturday morning was going to be a thermal mug with another brew of Monsoon Malabar. Well, I used the larger coffee filter and added too much water and what came out didn't taste much better than the coffee they serve at church. That isn’t a knock on the church; it's a admission of the snobbery that many of us have taken to with our fancy pants, boutique roasted beans. I was probably 10 the last time I was in a Christmas play. Anyone know Psalty’s Christmas Calamity? Part of me wanted to do this because I want to experience who/what I am with all the kids, as an adult, as a father now (Casper is baby Jesus this year) and potentially as a pastor of a small church like Crossroads some day. There’s that model of a pastor I wonder if I could be, the children’s sermons, the warmth as a family man, the ‘let the children come to me’ picture of Jesus, multi-ethnic kids climbing all over his lap, birds flitting in the air around his shoulders. Apparently the rehearsal went well. That is what Celaine said at least, but I was still bumming on the poor coffee I’d made.

We slept and read most of yesterday afternoon. I woke up earlier this morning. I have an even better cup of coffee next to me right now. Robed with a blanket across my feet. The gas stove is on. It looks disgustingly cold outside especially because I know it rained yesterday and that snow is crusted ice now.

What do I do with this moment? I blog it. Judson sent me a link to Justin Vernon’s twitter account. As I clicked through it, I experienced the world of an aesthete. We saw him in concert a few years ago and yes, his performance evoked a sensual, emotional expiation. I’ve been experiencing many things deeply in this season. The dANCEpROJECt performance a month ago was at the beginning of much of it. Or was it really Capser’s birth back in May? I haven’t been writing much because this has been a season of seeing and doing, taking in, gathering, receiving. I never knew I’d be so moved by modern dance. Even the more lyrical movements of Sacred Dance last Wednesday grabbed hold of me. Cold Mountain is so visceral, Charles Frazier’s prose so evocative that I’ve been reaching for books of poetry (eg. Franz Wright) to keep me going. Two records I just picked up have been good food satisfying different appetites: Jose Gonzalez’ band, Junip and finally the Black Keys’, Brothers. Thursday night I was able to record six different student performances. Ben came in and helped me facilitate short 10-15 minute sessions with each. Then there was the team Christmas party Friday night. For the White Elephant exchange, Lauren turned a bobble head into something that evoked a strong resemblance of Larry playing the piano and I wanted it...bad. Jacob stole it. Leo made a certificate, a voucher for a date with Josh Banner. Scott Kuyper stole that. We talked about going skeet shooting because I had picked his gift, a box containing two clay pigeons. Mike gave me a Christmas ornament. He’d taken a picture of me holding Casper and pasted his own face over the baby's. Our prayer time was giddy and sweet.

In the midst of so much seeming division in our nation, I’m fighting despair by resuscitating my engagements with ‘things.’ Rilke wrote that we should ‘be near things.’ It is our public discourse, our feeding on technological trinkets. It’s as if so many are experiencing a collective heaviness, a depression. And there's death too. One friend’s father went last week. Lori’s father is in hospice. John’s dad and Susanna’s uncle are about to enter. Why are the holidays often riddled with such ‘when it rains it pours’ pain? Despite it all, in the face of it, I’m alive and kicking. And that is baffling because I’d expect at this point, the end of the semester, that I’d be numb, cold and aloof.

It’s having a family. Susanna said it last night. Having a baby changes everything. Suddenly everything matters more. Even coffee. We were made to experience the world with and through others.

Thanksgiving Readings

2010-11-26T18:42:00.001-05:00

From The Supper of The Lamb: A Culinary Reflection by Robert Farrar Capon

Section from Chapter One: Ingredients

Permit me now to wipe my hands and introduce myself. I am an author who has always intended to write about cooking, but who has never gotten started in a way that didn’t carry him out of the field in two paragraphs or less. This time, as you can see, I have outwitted the muse. My beginning, if confusing, is the most auspicious thus far.

Next, my qualifications.

First, I am an amateur. If that strikes you as disappointing, consider how much in error you are, and how the error is entirely of your own devising. At its root lies an objection to cookbooks written by non-professionals (an objection, by the way, which I consider perfectly valid, and congratulate you upon). It does not, however, apply here. Amateur and nonprofessional are not synonyms. The world may or may not need another cookbook, but it needs all the lovers—amateurs—it can get. It is a gorgeous old place, full of clownish graces and beautiful drolleries, and it has enough textures, tastes, and smells to keep us intrigued for more time than we have. Unfortunately, however, our response to its loveliness is not always delight. It is far more often that it should be, boredom. And that is not only odd, it is tragic; for boredom is not neutral—it is the fertilizing principle of all un-loveliness.

In such a situation, the amateur—the lover, the man who thinks heedlessness a sin and boredom a heresy—is just the man you need. More than that, whether you think you need him or not, he is a man bound, by his love, to speak. If he loves Wisdom or the Arts, so much the better for him and for all of us. But if he loves only the way meat browns or onions peel, if he delights simply in the curds of his cheese or the color of his wine, he is, by every one of those enthusiasms, commanded to speak. A silent lover is one who doesn’t know his job.

Section from Chapter 8: Water in Excelsis

The bloom of the yeast lies upon the grape skins year after year because He likes it; C6H12O6=2C2H5OH+2CO2 (fermentation) is a dependable process because, every September, He says, that was nice; do it again.

So let us pause and drink to that, to a radically, perpetually unnecessary world, to the restoration of astonishment to the heart and mystery to the mind, to wine because it is a gift we never expected, to mushroom and artichoke for they are incredible legacies, to improbable acids, and high alcohols since we would have hardly thought of them ourselves and to all being because it is superfluous, to the hairs on Harry’s ear and to the 768^th cell from the upper attachment on the right gluteus maximus on the last girl on the chorus line. Prosit, dear hearts. Cheers, men and brethren. For we are free. Nothing is needful. Everything is for joy. Let the bookkeepers struggle with their balance sheets. It is the tippler who sees the untipped hand. God is eccentric. He has loves, not reasons. Salud.

From For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemann

From Chapter One Section Three

To love is not easy, and mankind has chosen not to return God’s love. Man has loved the world, but as an end in itself and not as transparent to God. He has done it so consistently that it has become something that is “in the air.” It seems natural for man to experience the world as opaque, and not shot through with the presence of God. It seems natural not to live a life of thanksgiving for God’s gift of a world.

When we see the world as an end in itself, everything becomes itself a value and consequently loses all value, because only in God is found the meaning (value) of everything, and the world is meaningful only when it is the “sacrament” of God’s presence.

PRAYERS & PRAISES

(join in the sections in bold)

*Give us, our Father, a sense of your presence

as we gather now for worship.

Grant us gratitude as we remember your goodness,

penitence as we remember our sins,

and joy as we remember your love.

Enable us to lift up our hearts

in humble prayer and fervent praise,

through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

PSALM 100

¹Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
²   Worship the Lord with gladness;
   come into his presence with singing.
³ Know that the Lord is God.
   It is he that made us, and we are his;^*
   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
   and his courts with praise.
   Give thanks to him, bless his name.

*Great God of our lives,

for all that is gracious in our lives,

revealing the image of Christ,

we give you thanks.

For our daily food and drink,

our homes and families, and our friends,

we give you thanks.

For minds to think and hearts to love and hands to serve,

we give you thanks.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,

we give you thanks.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,

we give you thanks.

For the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;

to you, O God, be praise and glory. Amen.

⁶PSALM 4

There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!’
⁷ You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.

*Prayers are from The Worship Sourcebook.

From Bonhoeffer's Letters & Papers From Prison

2010-11-16T12:39:00.003-05:00

What is bothering me incessantly is the question what Christianity really is, or indeed who Christ really is, for us today. The time when people could be told everything by means of words, whether theological or pious, is over, and so is the time of inwardness and conscience--and that means the time of religion in general. We are moving toward a completely religionless time; people as they are now simply cannot be religious anymore. Even those who honestly describe themselves as "religious" do not in the least act up to it, and so they presumably mean something quite different by "religious."[1]

Our whole nineteen-hundred-year-old Christian preaching and theology rest on the "religious a priori" of mankind. "Christianity" has always been a form--perhaps the true form--of "religion." But if one day it becomes clear that this a priori does not exist at all, but was a historically conditioned and transient form of human self-expression, and if therefore man becomes radically religionless--and I think that that is already more or less the case (else how is it, for example, that this war, in contrast to all previous ones, is not calling forth any "religious" reaction?)--what does that mean for "Christianity"?[2]

[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison (New York, Touchstone: 1997) 279.
[2] [Tegel] 30 April 1944 To Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers From Prison, 281.

A 3 Year Old Reciting Billy Collins

2010-11-10T11:16:00.001-05:00

I saw this little guy on youtube some time ago. NPR is covering the story here. This easily one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. Plus he's an incredibly adorable little guy.

Reading excerpts from Rowan Williams' Wound of Knowledge

2010-11-08T23:31:00.003-05:00

Rowan Williams, The Wound of Knowledge: Christian Spirituality from the New Testament to Saint John of the Cross.

p. 17

To believe in Jesus' God, the God of unconditional accessibility and even-handed compassion, to believe in an anarchic mercy that ignores order, rank and merit, is to accept that our projects and patterns are the mark of failure, of illusion, of the infantile belief that we can dictate truth and reality. Because it is menacing and painful to be confronted with the knowledge that our constructions of controlled sense are liable to be empty self-serving, we readily turn to violence against the bearers of such knowledge: in Johannine terms, we have decided we want to stay blind when the light is there before us, claiming we can see perfectly well (John 8:41). And the New Testament (especially the fourth gospel) suggests that only when such naked collision of interest occurs can the un-compromising reality of God over against our patterns of "religious control" become dear. God provokes crisis to destroy our self-deceiving reliance on "Law;" our dependence on what we as individuals can make and sustain, or what we as societies can administer for our own unchallenged interest. Self-dependence is revealed as a mechanism of self-de-struction; to cling to it in the face of God's invitation to trust is a thinly veiled self hatred.

p. 18

The Spirit's work is to make the believer like Christ, and being like Christ means living through certain kinds of human experience--not once, but daily. The second letter to the Corinthians is Paul's most passionate meditation on this. Here he speaks of the daily affliction, the daily rejection, the daily dying by which the Spirit works, transforming us "from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18). The veil of the law is removed, illusion is stripped away, but only slowly does this penetrate every area of human living. And it penetrates by means of the pervasive and inexorable experience of failure, by the "wasting away" (2 Cor. 4:16) of the instincts that look for clarity, ease and effectiveness and the acceptance of the hiddenness of God's working.

p.19

Here is the transfiguration from glory to glory, realized daily in the absurd, the biter, even the comical; this is, surprisingly, what it is to live in the Messsianic age and to be conformed to the pattern of the Messiah. When the future breaks into the present order, it shows itself in Paul's "folly" for Christ, in the stupid incongruities of this curious life in two worlds.

Hope College Arts Events

2010-10-26T21:34:00.005-04:00

Veritas Prequel November 3 & 4
Presenting Poet and Songwriter Reverend Vito Aiuto of the Welcome Wagon

November 3:
Chapel
10:30am Dimnent Chapel

“The Sacred & the Creative Process: Reflections on Ministry and Art Making” the Reverend Vito Aiuto of the Welcome Wagon followed by a panel discussion with Trygve Johnson and Joshua Banner
   3:00pm Hemmenway Auditorium

Poetry and Songs by Vito Aiuto of the Welcome Wagon, Joshua Banner and Susanna Childress of the Ordinary Neighbors and various Hope College students
   7:00pm Hemmenway Auditorium followed by a dessert reception in the Martha Miller Rotunda

November 4:
“Reflections on Worship Music by Vito Aiuto”
9:30am Dimnent #16

The Veritas Forum is a biennial event at Hope College. This year’s topic is “True Community True Selves: Exploring True Community in a Virtual World,” with lectures Thursday January 13, 2011 through Saturday morning, January 15. The forum will conclude with a concert featuring The Welcome Wagon (read below to learn more about this musical group). The Veritas Forum Prequel is a series of events to launch interest in the forum as well as various arts events that will coincide with the January forum which include:

Poetry Contest: $50 Prize* Winners to be judged by Professor Pablo Peschiera. All submissions should be sent to opus@edu.edu Deadline for Opus Submission is November 14. However, you can still submit poems for the contest as late as January 10.

Visual Art Contest: $50 Prize* Winners to be judged by Professor William Mayer. Artists submitting should contact Professor Mayer. Photos of works can also be submitted to Opus. Again the deadline for Opus Submission is November 14. However, you can still submit visual art for the contest as late as January 10.

8 Minutes Max*: we are seeking auditions of any original performance art pieces (songs, bands, singer songwriters, classical or jazz compositions, dance choreography, short film, theatrical vignettes. Selected performance pieces will perform January 15 before the Welcome Wagon at the Knickerbocker Theater. Auditions will be held December 9. Please contact Joshua Banner to sign up for an audition time.

*All visual art, poetry and performance pieces must somehow respond to the Veritas Mission statement, the focus of the lectures for January 2011. Contests and performances are only open to Hope College students.

Veritas Mission 2011
Perhaps no other human longing is more powerful than our desire for true friendship and true community. While ever-changing technologies provide instant connection with others, we often suspect that connection and community are not the same thing. While information abounds online, intimacy eludes us. We struggle even to maintain a sense of personal identity in the face of an avalanche of insistent marketing, must-have products and impersonal branding. What is required at this cultural moment in order to cultivate true communities and to interact authentically with others and in our increasingly virtual world? How can we experience authentic friendship, stable relationships, and an identity that was not manufactured for us? Simply put, where do we find true selves and true communities? Please join us as these and related questions are thoughtfully explored in light of the enduring truth of the Christian gospel during the 2011 Hope College Veritas Forum.

The Welcome Wagon is a married couple, the Reverend Thomas Vito Aiuto and his wife Monique, who execute a genre of gospel music that is refreshingly plain. Their hymns are modest and melodic takes on a vast history of sacred song traditions, delivered with the simple desire to know their Maker—and to know each other—more intimately.

Vito was born in Tecumseh, Michigan, and attended Western Michigan University where he developed a love for writing poetry. His first book of poems, Self-Portrait as Jerry Quarry, was published by New Issues Press in 2002. A self-described agnostic, Vito experienced a spiritual conversion at the age of 20 and soon after enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary to study theology and prepare for ordained ministry. Currently he is the senior pastor of Resurrection Presbyterian Church, a church he planted in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY, in 2005.

Raised on a farm, by a gentleman farmer father and choir teacher mother, in the same small town as Vito, Monique moved to New York City after high school to study art, first at the Cooper Union (BFA), then Columbia University (MFA). Since then she has worked as a pre-school teacher, craftmaker for Martha Stewart, and as a mother. She also serves as the Welcome Wagon's resident visual artist.

The Welcome Wagon began as husband and wife singing in the privacy of their home. Having little to no previous musical experience or training, Vito purchased a guitar with the desire to sing hymns with his family. With Monique accompanying on toy glockenspiel or harmonica, the two would amble through old hymnals, psalters and prayerbooks. Their inability to read music was no big issue; Vito simply made up new tunes to old words.

While their most familiar venue was (and is) their living room, the Welcome Wagon have been periodically coaxed to small stages at bars, parties, and seminaries throughout the New York City area, often joined by friends on upright bass, drums, piano, and banjo. These intimate arrangements preserve the delicate nature of the Welcome Wagon's identity.

But there is another Welcome Wagon, the one that can be heard on their debut album, Welcome to the Welcome Wagon. This version of the band retains the heart and soul of pastor and his wife singing together, but dresses them up in the transcendent musical vestments of Sufjan Stevens, who produced and helped arrange the record.

The collaboration between Stevens and The Welcome Wagon began in 2001 with their appearance on the Asthmatic Kitty compilation To Spirit Back the Mews (2001), debuting the first song they ever wrote and recorded, "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood." Since that time they have been patiently recording an album of hymns, pop covers, and folksy originals with their friend and Brooklyn neighbor. But it was the nativity of that first song which established their pattern of work together: husband and wife write and arrange songs with the architecture of a country chapel, while Stevens (as latter-day Christopher Wren) designs and attaches flying buttresses, soaring spires and reliquaries, gargoyles, gryphons and cherubs dotting the façade. Somehow this unlikely partnership has produced a sublime addition to that genre called "church music".

Admittedly, for a gospel duo, there's far less soul than sweet sincerity in the casual songs of the Welcome Wagon. Vito and his wife are unabashedly Midwestern, ordinary and uncool. But this is precisely what sets them apart from the standard fare of contemporary liturgical music. It doesn't feign emotion; it doesn't pander to stylistic pretensions; it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is: the result of countless, informal social exchanges between friends. A home-cooked meal followed by a few microphones taped to folding chairs. A family gathering, a summary of happy noises, and a room crowded with familiar faces. Sure, there are showy guitar riffs and piano codas and harmonica solos, a rowdy chorus, an imposing flourish of brass instruments like wartime canons. But at the heart of it—if you really listen carefully—there's just a pastor and his wife tentatively singing in the quiet privacy of their own home.

More Friendship

2010-10-19T21:27:00.001-04:00

We need a theology of friendship like we need a functional democracy. If I had the patience or the frame of mind to draw the connections, there could be much to say about the way government might work more successfully if we knew how to be better friends to each other. I found this piece on Slate.com that compares the troubles between the Left and the Right in need of marriage counseling. The comparison is a bit sentimental and overwrought. It fears the democrats' jaded and cutting cynicism is more destructive to our country than the republicans' anger. And this quirky analysis is just the bread and butter of quirk that Slate puts out: how to look at an issue from a somewhat less than conventional twist.

However, I'm thinking about friendship because I've just had a visit from Judson Tompkins. He flew into GR on Thursday. We drove on over to Royal Oak for a Sufjan concert. What a trippy and delightful evening. I got to see David Stith if even for just a second. Jud and I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the studio working a bit on his music and some on mine too.

And now the day after he's gone I find myself feeling somewhat barren and this makes me feel guilty. I'm here at home, a day off with Susanna and Casper trying to take it easy and quiet and I'm feeling sorry for myself...the sap that I am? Casper is a delight. He is moving into his personality in a vivid way. Sharing these discoveries with Susanna is rich. I can feel parts of my insides expanding, becoming something more. And still I miss the Judson Tompkins, the Brad Kilmans, the Josh Bottomlys of my world.

If there is anything that I really care about it is connection. Art, music, the studio, the creative process, worship, the rehearsals, the services, food at the table, film, literature...hospitality in all its forms. These are all ways to be with people. It is what I've been able to share with deep friends like Judson for years. It is what I share with Hope College students now. I work to create arenas for this to expand the way we think about our capacity for sharing our lives with each other.

Let's all promise to not take each other for granted. Let's promise to go out of our way more each week to share and give something. Let's imagine a way of sharing our times and energy on new people. Let's open ourselves and be surprised by someone we've not been paying attention to. It doesn't have to be grandiose in a dramatic fashion. In fact it is better if it is small and subtle because otherwise the gift ends up being more about us than the other. I feel kinda silly saying these things. I don't want to be naive or to add panic to our already busy lives. I'm working against that mantra, gotta do more...gotta be more. I don't want to be cheesy either. I want the real thing. I want history with people. Rootedness. To be known and to know. To move past small things.

I'm surprised by how much I want to be better at sharing myself. Where does this urge come from? Big thanks to Judson for reawakening this ever so painful yet hopeful ache. It is an ache for my Oklahoma family, but it is more for that. How to find the words tonight? I better not try to say more for now.

QUICK: After the Crowder Conference

2010-10-02T20:13:00.001-04:00

I hate talking about a movie or a concert immediately after it is over. I always feel awkward trying to put the experience into words too quickly [READ Annie Dillard's "Total Eclipse" for a better description of why we should take our time assigning language to experience].

Just finished attending THIS event. I normally don't look into conferences except a few. It isn't clinically diagnosable, but I choke up in large crowds and long lines. I get anxious, feel trapped and annoyed. But I decided to attend this event because David Taylor was presenting and I could get a free place to stay in his hotel room and a free admission as his guest. Further David and some of us have had this on running discussion about the state of contemporary worship music throughout the summer and the overall framework of this conference seemed like a great way to continue that discussion and the learning curve. It is intriguing that David Crowder included everyone from the Welcome Wagon (who will be at Hope College a few times this year), the Bifrost Arts, Israel Houghton, Gungor, John Mark McMillan, Matt Maher, Matt Redman, Hillsong London, along with speakers like David Dark and Rob Bell. It is apparent that Crowder put this particular group of people together because despite their various disparate musical styles and positions within the church, each impress representing something substantial in Crowder's mind about what is happening in the realm of church music.

My favorites were David Dark because he has always been such great insight and is versatile within pop and higher, historical (or canonical) arts/culture, Israel Houghton because I'm pretty high on gospel music right now with all the good, sweet things that are happening at Hope with our choir, and John Mark McMillan because I love his voice and the raw place he writes and sings from.

It was a very overwhelming experience especially since I had the backstage access and got good time with many of the artists and speakers. I went knowing that It'd be overwhelmed praying that the Spirit would keep me teachable and tender and that I'd have some good connections without having to go way out of my way to ingratiate myself. I'm a bit shy about these things. To top it off, I woke up at 4am Thursday to have time to get my 5:50am departure out of GR with a burning throat. It's been a head cold that has now moved into my chest. So it was really hard for me to feel emotionally present with the people and the worship. Maybe some how the sickness has been good, relieving me of the pressure of having to emotionally connect with the whole enterprise. In fact, this morning I put in ear plugs during the music because the subs were pumping so loud the night before that I felt dizzy.

It will indeed take me some time to fully get my head wrapped around what this all means to me and I don't want to rush that process. I want to at least say a few things.

I love the church. I renounce cynicism and judgmentalism. I began renouncing cynicism a while back, but it is a discipline to practice regularly. Each portion of the last three days contained something that I can learn from. I may not agree with all they do musically or say theologically and I may not be able to replicate exactly what they are teaching or representing, but the event in all its odd eccentricities leaves me loving God and the church more. I'm tired of cynicism. Create in me a clean heart Oh God. I believe, help my unbelief.
With all that I've been exposed to in the last three days, I feel even more delight with what God is doing through us at Hope College. Yes, I've just seen some world class musicianship and some powerful examples of worship leadership, but there is something lovely about the ministry and spiritual community at Hope College. I'm so grateful. We have World Communion Sunday tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to it even if I'm so sick I can't sing.

I'm still in Waco for the night and fly into GR at 1pm. If you read this before then, please pray that my flights are all on time so that I can get back for rehearsal for the Gathering tomorrow night.

PEACE

Response To David Taylor's Questions About Worship Song Writing

2010-09-07T02:35:00.001-04:00

David Taylor is the pre-eminent asker of questions. I love him for many reasons (I met my wife through him, he enjoys spicy food, has a great laugh, he lives deeply and deliberately, is generally a good time) but especially for his ache, his insistence, his persistence, even his obsession with putting a fine point to every good conversation. I recently completed the Gallup Strengths assessment test and one of my top five is “intellection,” meaning I like to spin abstractions around in my head. “Discipline” was not in my top five, thus my irregular blogging and thus my need for people like David Taylor in my life to keep me on task. In his most recent blog post he asks some poignant questions of worship songwriters. I presume much of this musing is prep for his pending presentation at David Crowders worship extravaganza at the end of the month yet the musing is also I’m sure a result of his deep love and concern for the church. So, I’ll bite.

Question 1: When you sit down to write a song, who are the people that inspire, or perhaps we should say in-form, your work?

Part 1a: the people who really matter… Part one of our first question, then, asks to whom a songwriter feels a sense of primary allegiance.

These kinds of questions can be answered both musically and textually. Trying to answer the question musically is somewhat of a mystery. I love George Steiner’s quip, “can anything meaningful be said about music?” For all of music’s physicality, the rhythmic pulse, the visceral response to melodies and harmonies, the tactile execution and reception of music…there is still an ineffable quality to any primary creative act. Scholars have wondered on this question endlessly. Where does creativity come from? Do we really have any control over it? Can a person be taught to write well or compose a song? Further is there really anything new ever made? See David, your attempt to put a fine point on these things only makes my head spin with more questions.

So let me just answer from my personal experience. For some reason I have melodies always inside of my head/heart. I can find several different melodies for any given chord progression. I don’t know why. They don’t all sound pleasant. They are just ideas. I have to sift through them and get to question #2 below briefly here. I know they are right when I’ve not become tired of them, when they stick inside of me, when I find that I still want to hum or sing them.

Some songwriters start with a text. Others with music. Some have varying mixtures between both. I mostly start with the music, but I do on occasion like to find ways of singing texts that have already been written.

So, who inspires me musically? Yes, definitely the Triune God. I feel the most joy and satisfaction when writing music. Often I try to find melodies in response to my daily Scripture readings. Singing is my most natural response to the Word of God and prayer. But I’m also informed and inspired by the music I’m listening to and playing at the time. The chorus of one song of mine, “Fairer,” turns out to be almost identical to the song “Death of a Salesman” by the band Low. I didn’t mean to steal it and didn’t realize what I’d done until a few months after the song was written. If I make the song more accessible, I may be contacting Low to square off on intellectual property rights and legally give what is due them (namely Alan Sparhawk). My point is that if song writers want to make certain kinds of songs, they need to immerse themselves in that kind of music by listening and playing it.

I listen mostly to avant, indie rock and down tempo. Lots of the National, Arcade Fire, Bibio, Boards of Canada, DM Stith…. This stuff can actually hinder me in my ability to write contemporary worship songs. I’ve finally found a few worship song writers that I really like: Paul Baloche, Robbie Seay, some of the Jesus Culture stuff, Brooke Fraiser, most recently a song by Phillip Rice. My mainstays are of course Brad Kilman and Charlie Hall. I’ve been listening to lots of worship music this summer and it is finding its way deeper into my heart.

What inspires my textually/lyrically? Again, it all comes out of my regular Scripture readings/meditations. If a certain idea of thought strikes me and if it seems like something that I haven’t noticed in other contemporary songs, then I’ll give it a shot. Much of this is just part of my private prayer life. Most of it doesn’t occur to me as something that I will bother forming into a full song. As they say, most of art is made not by inspiration but simply by showing up at the page or the canvas or whatever the medium. The act of creating a ‘thing’ is when the artist is able to pay attention to what emerges and the artist can recognize it as something worth developing and focusing on and what is crap. The rest, the bulk of it, is left on the cutting room floor.

If I find a connection between some words and a melody that seems worthwhile, I sing it and pray it over and over to see if my own heart is warmed…if my mind is lit up. Then I take those bits and pieces and put my thinking cap on and begin another kind of work to flesh out the song. Much of what inspires and informs me is good ole bible study, word searches, cross-referencing, reading and re-reading passages and taking a few pages of notes. I keep a hymnal at hand and do some searching through topical and Scriptural indexes. I use Witvliet’s Worship Source Book and do some thematic searching. All along the way I’m asking what the full song is about, the chorus/refrain and then how do verses, bridges, tags reinforce that overall meaning.

I also have the blissful pleasure of being married to a fantastic poet, so I sing parts to her. She tells me very quickly what is good and what is not. If she is inclined she starts toying around with phrasing with me.

My favorite texts are by Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Bernard of Clairvaux….

Part 1b: what functional authority do they play? What functional authority does the songwriter’s “primary community” play in his or her work?

On a whole other level, what inspires me? My congregation, the gathered worshipers at Hope College. I write for them. It is in my job description and it is my joy to supplement our worship diet with original material. Back in 2000 or so I heard how much money Martin Smith was making quarterly on his popular song “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” and suddenly it became impossible for me to write corporate songs. I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if somehow I’d someday write a hit and start making gobs in royalties. It wasn’t until the summer of 2006 right before I started here at Hope that I was able to write another corporate song. It came out of my excitement of serving this new community. That first song was my experiment in wondering what would interesting in the context of a campus ministry. It was initially sparked by a desire to say to God in song what the disciples said to Jesus when he wondered if they too would leave him, “where shall we go? You alone have the words of life.”

I don't feel any particular allegiance to a denomination though. What I’m doing is explicitly ecumenical. I’m most enthused about injecting high biblical/theological content into contemporary forms. Yet, I am for the most part a Reformed creature, so I work to remain true to those theological convictions. I also make myself accountable to our staff. If they find something funky about a line, I’ll definitely change it.

Alternatively, does a songwriter sense a responsibility to write songs inspired by and in service of the global church, with a respect for the unique concerns of other cultures?

I’m not trained yet or equipped to know how to write for the global church. I don’t know if such a thing is possible. Is there a song that could be globally received? Even “Amazing Grace” may seem funky to someone somewhere. When trying to be hospitable to students of color or international students, it is much more effective to get them involved in the worship leading. I’ve stepped things up with our Gospel Choir for just this reason. I also love to meet and learn songs from the international students. We’ve been deeply affected by these songs from across the globe.

Here is a tricky counter question with issues of global music: globalization has made Western, contemporary music styles almost ubiquitous. For example, hip-hop is really popular in many many cultures because these cultures want to Westernize musically as well as technologically. What are we to do with Spanish speaking churches that would rather sing Hillsongs music in Spanish translation rather instead of using their indigenous musical styles? This is happening with contemporary Black Gospel music, a kind of fusion of sorts between contemporary rock worship styles and Gospel Choirs. This can create very exciting results, but it makes ‘global’ music a pretty complicated topic. Check out this song for example:

It is arguable that much of what is on the top 40 charts is some blend of hip hop, hard rock and bubble gum pop. Much of popular music is becoming an aesthetic mishmash.

2. How do you know that you have written a right song?

Constance Cherry has a great checklist of things to consider in evaluating a worship song in her new book The Worship Architect. It is a pretty daunting list of criteria, but I rest in the knowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect worship song. In my journey of song selection for this summer, I found myself spending more time in prayer with a song. I’ve had to set my critical faculties aside for a bit to sense if a song makes sense to me spiritually. I’m growing back into some old habits I used before graduate school to discern a song. I’ve found that my biblical/theological training has somewhat crippled me to fully trust any songs at all. Of course, it is easy to rip any given contemporary song to shreds. I’ve been heavy handed and cynical even and so it has been a season of repentance and trust. Yes we must be “shrewd as serpents” in discerning worship music, but we also must be “as innocent as doves.” This has freed me as a leader too. During the first week of worship services, I’ve found that I can give myself to a song in a more deliberate way to lead more fully and confidently. So there seems to be a dialectic of moving back and forth between mental and heart assessment. After doing this for so many years, for the most part, I can tell which songs will work. Constance Cherry’s criteria is a good rubric, but ultimately it is an intuition you develop after years of failures and successes. You judge a

tree by its fruit, and so we develop a taste for the fruit.

Ironically, I had the morning off from leading and my students led in my place. They picked two of my songs. It was the first time that has ever happened—me being led by two songs I wrote for Hope College by Hope College students. I was in tears. Deep gratitude. It is a kind of fruit that blows my mind. They are such strong leaders. Hearing the whole of the chapel sing so fully. Rehearsing these lines Susanna and I wrote together. Sharing with the gathered saints. An absolutely remarkable blessing.

QUICK REVIEW: The Worship Architect: A Blueprint for Designing Culturally Relevant and Biblically Faithful Services

2010-08-30T10:13:00.002-04:00

I've been teaching a Theology and Worship course for four years now and have struggled to find the right readings because, as Paul Westermeyer and Charlotte Kroeker both agree, the study of Church music is vastly interdisciplinary. While I delight in the theoretical questions that surround the church and its musical culture, when we get down to the rubber hitting the road applications like the order of service, song selection, and congregational participation, The Worship Architect serves us well.

Honestly, I typically have an 'allergic reaction' to prescriptive ministry texts. While the book is filled with lists and lists of practical questions and ideas, it avoids being pedantically heavy handed. Cherry's intent is to direct our attention to the important issues that must be addressed in order to plan our services well and she does this efficiently. The exhaustive content may be dizzying for my students but it is a valuable reference to have on hand for leaders. The book is worth its price if only for the concise list of questions for evaluating a worship song. I had groups of my student leaders use this in a training retreat last week and there was much fruit from their discussions and discernment.

The theological content in the first half of the text (Cherry's "four load bearing walls") may be relatively cursory, it serves as a good primer for opening the discussion of liturgical theology for novices--for the college student.

This will be an important book for training worship leaders from both traditional and contemporary churches but especially the contemporary. With the boom of contemporary worship in the last 20-30 years we need to expect more from our contemporary leaders than to be talented, winsome and spirit-filled. Many of the books with this kind of liturgical content are written in a tone and vocabulary that will only preach to their respective choirs. But Cherry's approach is accessible and ecumenical and will help contemporary leaders conceive a substantial approach to worship planning, a weighty respect for each part of a service and an appropriate discernment essential to leading well.

[p.s. thanks to Matt Westerholm for catching my typo. It is just as loving to tell someone when they have a booger, food in their teeth, a button undone or a fly unzipped.]

Review of For the Beauty of the Church

2010-08-10T10:27:00.001-04:00

The good folks at Transpositions have had the mind to review For the Beauty of the Church chapter by chapter. My chapter was reviewed, incidentally, on my birthday. They brought up a good concern about what I'm suggesting. I copied my response below. There is good discourse on each chapter in the respective comment sections.

I don't know if anything could be more exciting than this! Thanks to you guys for taking such care with this book. Your collective thoughtfulness will make us better pastors and leaders in the future.

For the record, I'm aware of the 'cute' factor of my three P's. I had come up with that language back in '98 when I wrote out the initial mission statement for the arts ministry. The P's were a coincidence then. That same language has served me thus far, so I kept it the unintentional alliteration.

Regarding the factory concern: yes, a very good concern. Another reviewer elsewhere suggested that what I'm suggesting is tantamount to turning pastors into "talent scouts." Well, yes indeed. I do believe that pastors are talent scouts but not just of artistic gifts but of all gifts. Those of us who have the privilege/burden of being paid in ministry--I believe--are paid primarily to identify and release the many gifts within our congregations, preaching, teaching, worship leading, outreach, service, intercession as well as painting, poetry, composition etc.... We are called to "equip the saints for the work of ministry." Much of what I do as a campus minister can be called vocational counseling. I help students identify, trust and test their passions. I would LOVE churches to be better equipped to maybe not become 'gift' or 'talent' "factories" but perhaps conservatories, gardens, flourishing farms.

Peace of Christ to you. Thanks again.

Book Review: What Language Shall I Borrow?

2010-07-18T00:03:00.001-04:00

My review of What Language Shall I Borrow? is now printed here in Perspectives.

Review of the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man

2010-06-15T17:34:00.002-04:00

"Taking a Serious Man Seriously" The Cresset, Trinity 2010 (Vol LXXIII, No. 5 pp 38-40)

Casper At Three Days

2010-06-07T17:09:00.001-04:00

This video was taken just a few days after Casper was born. At birth he was 6 lbs 3 oz. Today he is just over 7 lbs. It is insane how much a single pound of weight and two weeks can change him. Of course I've been studying him pretty closely.

Roughly 25 Hours Old

2010-05-23T16:22:00.003-04:00

Sorry everybody! I didn't know facebook would be proprietary. I'm working on a link to YouTube right now. It's not working yet...but check back soon if this doesn't work for you.

Casper Augustine Banner

2010-05-23T09:45:00.005-04:00

This is what Susanna emailed everybody:

Dears,

Josh and I are exceptionally pleased to send word of the birth of our son, Casper Augustine Banner, born into water on Saturday, May 22 at 1.03p, weighing 6.3 lbs and measuring 19.5" long.

We'll send pictures soon.

Our sweet one is healthy and doing well, as am I. Thanks be to the Giver....

All good things,
Susanna + Josh + Casper*

*Casper: Dutch form of Persian Jasper, purportedly one of the three Magi and meaning "Master of the Treasure"; Augustine: 5th C. North African theologian and philosopher, derived from the Latin root augere, "to increase." Most certainly: OUR TREASURE HAS INCREASED! (Also, a little family trivia: Casper Augustine Banner is the great grandson of Clifford Ashton Banner and the great great grandson of Charles Augustus Banner....)

Baby-Making, Peace-Making, Patience & The Creative Process

2010-05-21T11:55:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was the due date for the baby. For some nine months we've been waiting for that day to come and now it's gone and this morning it is raining outside and we can't take our hour-long walk to help coax the baby further down into Susanna's hips. I've been joking about this darn nine month arrangement that God designed. Some actually argue that it ends up being closer to ten months, but I'll leave those details for Susanna and the midwives to discuss. My point is this: six months is hard; nine months is excruciating.

I'm starting to work on my final comprehensive paper for my Regent degree. I've been hacking away at this coursework for over seven years and now it is all coming down to one single 40-page paper. Of course I'm glad to finally earn my Masters, but I'm also sad. This is not something that I've waited eagerly to finish and be done with. I love being a student. I need the accountability of a syllabus, a classroom and an instructor to push my learning further than it could go by itself. I love the process of learning.

It has been three weeks since our final Sunday evening service. I've had some bits of work to do for Hope College, but for the most part, I've had access to large amounts of time. Yet, I haven't begun any work on the Ordinary Neighbors record. I know this is the final "push." I could be done with it in just a few weeks--done with this project that I've obsessed over for four years. Part of me is scared to be done, to let go of control, to call it finished. It's a typical struggle of an artist, to decide when the work is finished, to know it is ready for "publication." Another part of me is sad to be done with this particular creative process. I love fiddling around in the studio. I love fiddling around with these songs.

I've been reading through a couple books to get my mind and heart back into the flow as I prepare to write this final paper. Makoto Fujimura's Refractions: a Journey of Faith, Art and Culture is really nice in this regard. His first section has been lingering inside of me the past few days. He works off of some thoughts from Tolstoy on art:

"The task of art is enormous. Through the influence of real art, aided by science, guided by religion, that peaceful co-operation of man which is now maintained by external means--by our law-courts, police, charitable institutions, factory inspection, and so forth,--should be obtained by man's free and joyous activity. Art should cause violence to be set aside."

There is much to think about here about the relationship between art and peace. I want to dive into Nicholas Wolterstorff's work on justice. I heard him speak a few years ago about justice and art. I'd like to go further with Derrida on these things too. There could be a lifetime of reflection on these things. I like where Makoto starts his thoughts on this topic:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God" Matthew 5:9

He explains that one way to translate "peacemakers," eirenepois, is "peace poets." Makoto comments:

"We need to seek ways to be not just 'peacekeepers' but to be engaged 'peacemakers.' In such a definition, peace (or the Hebrew word shalom) is not simply an absence of war but a thriving of our lives, where God uses our creativity as a vehicle to create the world that ought to be. Art, and any creative expression of humanity, mediates in times of conflict and is often inexplicably tied to wars and conflicts."

Why do people resort to violence in the first place? Perhaps it is because they are impatient with the other means that are at hand. Love requires more patience than violence. Peacemaking requires more grace than violence-making. It has occurred to me that my impatience with the baby coming is in its small way a kind of violence, a violence that brings anxiety, stress and even strife into my home and my psyche. It is easier to be short with Susanna and myself, with the dogs...with the weather. Patience and peacemaking are partners. When choosing peace and patience, we chose to trust something that is greater than our own powers and resources. If God is my greatest means, then prayer becomes my main priority.

Here is a broad speculation: I doubt that families prior to the industrial revolution struggled to be patient during nine months gestation of a baby. They were closer to the patterns of nature and didn't know any different. Today we are so cut off from the natural order of creation. Our machinery has made us an impatient society because it convinces us that we have so much control. My joke in the past month has been this, "Come on, God. Don't you know I'm an American?" I've learned patience in my learning process and in my own art making (okay, perhaps I need to be a bit more impatient with the music and just get it done), but this baby making has revealed in me a whole other layer of striving, an ache for control. That is why I like the story about the fish farm in southern Spain that I posted last (skip halfway through the video to get straight to it). This is a perfect illustration of the kind of "conversation with the land" that Wendell Berry advocates that I mentioned earlier.

To say all of this again more succinctly: as human creatures we need to learn how to live within the created order and not over and against it. If we can learn how to live within creation, then we will learn the peace making, joyful patience that will allow us to be effective stewards of creation, nurturers rather than exploiters. If I can learn this, then perhaps I'll be a more patient and loving father and husband as well.

So, there is of course a lesson of patience in this nine months. The next few days (post due date) seem likely to be long. I'm trying to love this idea that God, our Creator, is the most magnificent of artists as he fashions this child. I've said that I enjoy the creative process even in watching other artists work. I pray that I can continue to patiently enjoy this particular creative process. Here's one way to look at it: how many artists could consistently turn out work on a nine month deadline and have each piece turn out to be completely unique and original? What artist could do this several billion times?

What Food Feeds Your Soul? Part III

2010-05-19T23:35:00.001-04:00

My friend Michael Mobley posted this video on facebook. This guy is speaking a contemporary version of Wendell Berry speak. It gave me goose bumps. If the video doesn't work (I stink at HTML embedding), the try this: http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/17/barber.fish.farming/index.html?hpt=C2

This is the note about the speaker from CNN.com:

Editor's note: Dan Barber is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in New York, which aims to bring the principles of good farming directly to the table. In 2006, he received the James Beard award for Best Chef: NYC. In 2009 he was named James Beard's Outstanding Chef, and Time Magazine featured him in their "Time 100." TED, a nonprofit organization devoted to "Ideas Worth Spreading," hosts talks on many subjects and makes them available through its website.

My Musical Reconfiguration

2010-05-11T10:20:00.001-04:00

Below is an email I sent to my brother in law, Micah, a bonafide music geek like me. He's going to see three concerts this weekend. Lucky. I was trying to explain to him on the phone yesterday why it's taken me three years to appreciate Wilco's "Sky Blue Sky."

RE: Wilco. I didn’t know “Sky Blue Sky” was your favorite of Wilco’s records. I can definitely see why. I really am going through a musical reconfiguring. Brief history to explain further what I was mentioning on the phone yesterday: I didn’t listen to much other than Rich Mullins and Simon and Garfunkel’s Greatest hits until I got to college (1993). I’d heard of U2, but I hadn’t heard them. Freshman year I discovered “August and Everything After” by Counting Crows (their only good record because it was produced by the venerable T Bone Burnet) and then there was Jason Harod and Brian Funk, former Wheaton students. Their “Dreams of the Color Blind” was on constant rotation in my dorm room—almost every Wheaton College student’s dorm room. Then I got into James Taylor and several of his descendants (David Wilcox/ John Gorka). So from 18 to about 23 I mostly listened stuff like Natalie Merchant and the Innocence Mission. Radiohead’s “Kid A” really screwed with me. I heard some of it one day on NPR. Oddly enough I had “OK Computer” in my CD collection because a former roommate left it when he moved out. I didn’t even know what it was. Played it once, but didn’t like it. By that time I’d made my first record and the studio became an intimidating/fascinating addition to my understanding of music. Discovering Kid A was like discovering a whole new kind of food. Somehow it immediately made sense to me—so much sense that I went back and listened Ok Computer and it suddenly made sense too. Enter Wilco’s “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” and I started to re-think the possibilities of song structure and interpretation. All the noises on these records seemed to be more honest to me than just a voice and an acoustic guitar. The simplicity of folk music seemed escapist by that point—naive (unless it was something like Eliot Smith). The noise elements (glitch beats, static, distortion, FX) sounded like our post industrial society: confused, scary, dark, but yet somehow formed and organized and musical. Its been a way for me to think redemptively about the world, a way to make sense out of senselessness. Thus the journey into more obscure kinds of music. However, I’ve realized in the last year that my mental questions about music have taken me into places that are less and less musical. I find it harder and harder to really enjoy the sum total of the parts. That is all to say that SBS is really nice listening for now.

FRIENDS & BABIES! Catching Up On Some Blogging

2010-05-01T08:55:00.003-04:00

Weekend before last, we had a couple groups of friends come through Holland. To the left is our good friends Jason and Amiee Shattuck and their kids, Aidan, Micah and Clara. It was our first chance to meet Micah, and wow...Clara is a little girl now. We miss them so much! They moved to western Washington state last summer and left a void. Heaven will partly be getting to hang with all our closest friends and never having to say goodbye!

And these monkeys to the right are my good buddies from Oklahoma City, Brian Bergman and Dustin Ragland. They are in Charlie Hall's band and had played at Mars Hill Sunday morning. Charlie and the whole band with Kendall and Quint and the sound man, Paul Colley came out to Holland after the service to have lunch. I was able to show them around campus quickly. It was especially fun to show the studio to Paul because he used to help me out when I was first starting into recording. He'd give me ideas on what to buy and loan me microphones. Paul also mixed the first record I ever tracked, Like a Little Girl for Shannon Horn (Jurrens). It was also fun to show the space to Kendall because he produced my first record, Come And Reason way back in 2000. My what can happen in a decade!

Dustin and Brian stayed Sunday and Monday nights to both catch up and also to help me with the Ordinary Neighbors record. We spent most of Monday (April 19) listening to each track and taking notes on what is left to be done. Really, they just held my hand and made me feel good about the record--helped convince me that I haven't lost my mind and wasted my time. It has been a deep joy to have them collaborate on this project off and on over four years. I'd like to think that I'll have everything finished by the end of the summer.

I have to say "end" of the summer because our baby is due in less than three weeks, and yet still, I'll have to work on the record in small, short bursts.

Susanna moves home for good this next week. Our last Gathering service is this Sunday night, then Tuesday evening I drive down to help Sus pack up her apartment there and bring her home. MAY WE NEVER EVER LIVE IN DIFFERENT STATES AGAIN!

I've been busy getting the nursery ready. My parents purchased a crib for us. It arrives on Wednesday too. I picked out a comfy rocker for the nursery upstairs and Susanna wanted a Herman Miller rocker that we will put on the main floor. I was able to purchase the shell of the chair from Hope College for $25 and we'll order the rocker base off of ebay. It'll be about $100 total for a chair that costs $1k brand new. Hooray for not spending lots of money! I'm also making a paper lantern mobile to go above the crib. Sus has picked out some stencils. We just might actually get the room put together before the baby arrives. Susanna had wanted to work in the garden today, but it looks like there will be thunderstorms off and on. Maybe we'll do some stenciling and painting.

The baby has dropped, so Susanna is waddling around now. And our midwife told her on Monday that her cervix is 90% thinned already. That doesn't necessarily mean that the baby will come early, but it might mean a shorter labor. We appreciate your prayers for a healthy, safe delivery.

What Food Feeds Your Soul? Part II

2010-04-04T20:26:00.001-04:00

Welp, not much feedback on that last post, so let me try again. After all, a main reason why I keep this blog, is to work out different ways to best articulate the things that matter most to me.

Yes, a shift in my writing from music to food might seem less than common sense to some, but it all fits clearly within the framework of what I'm learning. And to make matters more confusing, let me explain the connections between music and food by talking about politics for a bit.

I plead guilty to getting caught up in some of the petty fall out of the Health Care Bill within the past few weeks. Truthfully, I'm optimistic about this success of the Obama administration although I'm concerned about other developments (ie. the off-shore drilling and the legality of drone missile attacks). But these particular issues are not the main thrust of what has been concerning me, and this is the same issue that I've been talking about since the 2004 election. Despite all our political differences, the only hope we have for a functional democracy is a renewal of honest to goodness conversation. Unfortunately what we have in our public discourse is not discourse but shouting, misinformation, slander, reactionary-ist banter and party line quietism. This explanation of what has recently happened to conservative thinker and former Bush speech writer, David Frum, is the kind of destructive happenings that will continue to corrode our democracy.

I've mentioned before my fascination with the great prayer of St. Francis, especially the lines:

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

This selflessness is the fundamental ethic, the essential paradigm for constructive conversation. Without this selflessness--without the capacity to hear the other person--we are only participating in a power struggle. We must give the other person the dignity of being heard.

Jewish philosopher Martin Buber describes this as the "I" and "Thou" relationship. He says something deep when he says, “Through the Thou a person becomes I.” The implication is that we are not fully human if we do not allow the other person the dignity of being fully human. In contrast, says Buber, our post industrial society has developed an "I" and "It" worldview. This is where we presume to transcend our neighbors and even all of society. Here everything has lost dignity of being. When everything outside of ourselves becomes an "It" rather than a "Thou," these things are merely subject to our own whimsy, our own control, and further, our abuse.

This is why I am so very distressed especially when Christians are the ones shouting the most. They have in essence taken upon themselves a lust for power that ultimately only God can wield. It's a triumphalism that demonstrates the loudness of their own voice rather than a deep trust in the work of the Holy Spirit and the Lordship of Christ over all creation, over our government and even our economy. Of course I'm not saying that Christians should not publicly offer their convictions. What I'm saying is that we will most likely be better heard if we share our convictions in the form of a dialogue rather than from the meager heights of a soap box.

Now here is where I will start to bring food back into the discussion and then eventually music too. I'm a Wendell Berry sucker. I say "sucker" because I've read more of his writings rather than actually lived in response to his writings. I've lacked the patience and courage, but something is arising within me that is intent on putting my ideals more plainly into practice, thus the worm bin I mentioned in the last post (I'll offer some pictures soon, I promise). So, to stoke the fires, I've been reading Wendell Berry again and now that I really want to change as a person, his words are all the more penetrating. Here is his elegant way of bringing together the topics at hand, dialogue and food:

“The fact is that we have nearly destroyed American farming, and in the process have nearly destroyed our country…How has it happened?…Industrial agriculture, built according to the single standard of productivity, has dealt with nature, including human nature, in the manner of a monologist or an orator. It has not asked for anything or waited to hear any response. It has told nature what it wanted, and in various clever ways has taken what it wanted.”

Simply put, agribusiness has participated largely in an "I" and "It" subjugation of our natural land resources. What is the solution for Berry?

...an agriculture using nature, including human nature, as its measure would approach the world in the manner of a conversationalitst. It would not impose its vision and its demands upon a world that it conceives of as a stockpile of raw material, inert and indifferent to any use that maybe made of it....On all farms, farmers would undertake to know responsibly where they are and to consult "the genius of the place." They would ask what nature would be doing there if no one were farming there. They would ask what nature would permit them to do there, and what they could do there with the least harm to the place and to their natural and human neighbors. And they would ask what nature would help them to do there. And after each asking, knowing that nature will respond, they would attend carefully to her response. The use of the place would necessarily change, and the response of the place to that use would necessarily change the user. The conversation itself would thus assume a kind of creaturely life, binding the place and its inhabitants together, changing and growing to no end, no final accomplishment, that can be conceived or foreseen."

Berry here has depicted the "I" and "Thou" relationship in terms of our connection to the land. This is what I've learned about making music, that it requires incredible listening ability not just to match the beat of the other players, but also an attentiveness to the dynamics and also the audience or congregation. When I play music, I'm listening to everything, drawing it all in and then responding as if in a conversation. When I teach, I am performing a profound act of listening. Each semester I start with a syllabus, but the content of the course always changes as I listen to the students and re-read the material. If I don't let the course dynamically change, then ultimately I am more concerned with imposing my self-important ideas upon the students rather than serving them as learners. So much could be said about healthy leadership, parenting, and friendship along these terms, but that is hopefully all obvious at this point.

Two final things then: first, by attempting to write about food, I am confessing that for the most part, my participation in nature has been one-way. I've imposed my own demands for convenience upon my food consumption. I'm interested in learning to grow things and to make worm compost because it is a way to give my backyard and nature itself the dignity of being a live, vibrant place of sustenance, and I wish I had the words to explain how this is slowly making me more alive myself.

Second, to bring all these thoughts about conversation back together, consider the table. The best of meals are the ones that allow us the time to be together and have a sharedness of our beings. A really good meal can transform relationships. You take your time. You enjoy successive courses. You share in the delight of tastes, textures, aromas and you linger at the table when all the plates are empty. You linger because an event has taken place and you bask in the blessedness of all that the table offered: sustenance, pleasure and above all, love. Like the music or the sermon of a worship service, food when properly prepared can provide an occasion where we find ourselves being more ourselves when together than we are alone. It is in this way that food can feed our souls.

What Food Feeds Your Soul? Part I WORMS!

2010-03-30T23:59:00.002-04:00

Okay, new series. For those of you who have been keeping track, I'm not going to stop working on What Music Feeds Your Soul? I've been doing some thinking about food and these thoughts are on par with my concerns about music. The difference is that I'm very active in music either listening to it or making it. I'm not as involved in food...at least my food habits have not kept up with food ideals. So, in an attempt to become more deliberately involved with my food consumption I decided to get into worms!

I'm a bonafide livestock farmer...of about 800 red wigglers, a pound of worms. Let me explain. I have a new hero. About a year ago, Susanna and I read about Will Allen in our Heifer International's publication, World Ark. I was smitten by the picture of Mr. Allen and tore it out. This picture is hanging on our fridge right now:

Will Allen was a basketball player in the 70's. He almost played in the NBA. He left his career in marketing in 1993 to begin a nonprofit, four season urban farm in Milwaukee. In 2008 Mr. Allen was awarded a MacArthur Foundation genius grant. What I find fascinating about Will Allen is his savvy in using the act of growing food to confront the heart of many of our societies greatest challenges. He is a community activist and bridges the rich and the poor, the black and the white; he engages children and school and also juvenile detention centers, and he credits all of this with the wealth of his worms.

I'll be slowly unpacking the importance of food in each post, but let me start with this: the garden and the table are potent metaphors in the Scriptures. It is difficult for us to take these metaphors seriously because we buy our food prepackaged for us. I'm coming closer to the conviction that our health care crisis, our energy crisis, our pollution and our emotional health can be remedied if we could simply learn to eat better, and when I say "eat," I mean not just sitting down to dinner, but all that is involved in getting the food on our plate. This is such a basic and simple idea that it either seems juvenile and silly. To some it might seem Utopian and grandiose.

Here is my underlying assumption: if we can eat better, then we can begin to re-frame our contemporary existence. We will begin to see ourselves as a part of the created order and if we can understand that we are dependent upon creation, then a whole new ethic will begin to be needed for us to live by. I'm only re-phrasing what Wendell Berry has already said, “The standard of the exploiter is efficiency; the standard of the nurturer is care.”

Last year I tried to become a better gardener by starting seeds indoors. I'd been reading Truck by Michael Perry which is an account of his love affair with an old truck that he restores and also his romance with a woman too, but I won't give any spoilers away about that. Reading his description of his garden and his indoor seedlings made me feel ambitious. It was a way to fight against the deep Holland winter here.

The jalapenos grew into nice full bushes, but for some reason they didn't produce many peppers. Our tomatoes grew nice and big, but they only yielded a few tomatoes. Overall, even though I didn't kill the plants, it was an experience to prove that I've got a black thumb. I was in good company though. Michael Perry's indoor seedlings did too to well either.

With such a frustrating failure, I've realized that I simply don't know much about what makes plants grow. Yes, I grew up on a farm. I get it. You put the seed into the ground. It gets watered. The sun shines. The seed germinates. You work your best to fight off bugs and weeds. Well we've done all those things and I still feel clueless about what I'm doing. Thus, the worms!

I'll share more about the worms in my next post because I'm afraid I might have already killed a bunch of them. Ha! So I'll share more once I'm sure I've been somewhat successful. But the point is that the worms poop a nutrient rich organic fertilizer that will help nourish our garden this summer.

For now, I'll leave you with a few good links on Will Allen for those of you who are interested in four season urban farming:

Will Allen's organization is called Growing Power. Click HERE

Some videos about him and his work:

Book Acknowledgements

2010-03-16T22:33:00.002-04:00

I know it is just one essay and I may be doing too many acrobatical maneuvers of glee for some of you to bear, but other than a few odds and ends in various journals, this is my first book publication. My essay is published in the company of some pretty hefty authors. So, I'll probably stop making a big deal eventually, but for now, darn it, I'm excited.
It would have been impractical for each contributing author to submit acknowledgements, so I want to mention a few people that I'm thankful for here. Conincidentally, David did mention in his acknowledgements the person I am most indebted to, my wife, Susanna Childress. I'll say more about her in a second.

Most notably I need to thank David Cunningham, director of the Crossroads Lilly Endowment here at Hope College. I knew he was a theologian who cared about the arts when I met him in a book group that was working through Rowan Williams' Grace and Necessity. David not only read the essay, but we sat down for a 2.5/3 hour dinner (my dime as thanks) and he walked me through one of my drafts almost line by line. His feedback was very insightful and gave me lots of confidence.

Steven Bouma-Prediger, religion professor here at Hope, read a very early draft. His comments were both constructive and encouraging.

I also had some friends back in Oklahoma City, from the church that is the focus of the story, give me some feedback too. Thanks to Wendy Shreffler and Lance Humphreys especially.

Thanks also to Charlie Peacock for reading through the essay and helping me believe that my writing did fit in the company of such "august" (his word directly) company.

Now back to Susanna. When I spent my first weekend with Susanna, I was concerned that she not think my writing ridiculous. She'd sent me her manuscript, the manuscript that was later picked by Billy Collins to win the Brittingham Prize. I didn't think that she would think my essays back then were ground breaking. I just wanted to make sure she didn't think my scribbles were silly, so somehow I found the nerve to read some of my writings to her. From then and to this day, she has indulged me by being my first reader of almost everything I write. She doesn't just listen. She gives me real, tangible criticism. Sometimes I have to go for long walks after recieving such criticism, but she has made me into a whole new kind of writer. Yes, writing just comes down to lots of hard work, sifting through draft after draft. I only wish I could be half as helpful, loving and supportive for her as she is for me.

What Music Feeds Your Soul? VIII

2010-02-24T21:01:00.003-05:00

Interview on Hope Chapel CD 2009-1010 "Here is Mercy"

With the impending release of the Hope College Worship 09-10 recording, I thought it might be good to get some publicity going—you know fire up the marketing machine and make sure the word gets out. We are going to be posting the recording on iTunes for the very first time, after all. I’ve managed to arrange an interview to be published in hopes that I might get some hype brewing.

Sadly, the interview will only be published here on this blog, and further, the only interviewer I could find on short notice is me.

Nevertheless, I’ve been greatly anticipating this interview--have been thinking about it for days. The butterflies are all a flutter. I’m experiencing the expected shortness of breath. What if I say something stupid and don’t articulate myself well? And then there is the double pressure of fearing that I might embarrass myself as the interviewer and ask a stupid question as well.

Either way, hopefully this little exchange contributes to some further thoughts on what music feeds our souls.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

JCB: Thanks for joining me for this interview on such short notice.

JB: No, no, thanks goes to you for helping us get the word out to Hope College students about this recording.

JCB: You mention Hope College students. Is this a recording just for them, or can people off campus get copies?

JB: We print 1500 copies. The CDs will be available at the Keppel house on March 15 and also at the Hope bookstore. We are also trying out iTuens for the first time, but in terms of the main reason we go to such great lengths to make a record every year, yes I’d say it is the students who are the main focus of our energies…well, other than God, of course, since it is a worship record. We don’t have any expectation that these recordings are going to make us famous or anything.

JCB: Honestly? You don’t have any hope that these songs will be heard by people off campus?

JB: No, well, uh…there needs to be a clear understanding of what music is for and why it is that we should make recordings in the first place. Fundamentally I believe music is a gift from God that helps us communicate back to him and also with other people in ways that prose discourse cannot facilitate. We make music because we are human. God made us to make music. The trouble is that music has become a big business in Western culture and we assume that if you make a CD then you must have some ambition to become something special, someone famous...or at least someone that is noticed at some sort of significant level of recognition. So, I think it is kinda weird for Christians to make records these days. It can so quickly become an avenue for self-promotion when what we are called to is God promotion or Jesus promotion.

JCB: In listening through the CD, I realized that you actually sing very little on this year’s record. Was that a conscious decision?

JB: Yeah, I’m glad you noticed that. I guess it may be no big deal to other people, but actually, no, it wasn’t a conscious decision to sing less on this record. This is my fourth year leading at Hope College. All the students who lead with me are students I’ve recruited. It’s been four years of learning mostly how to identify and release their gifts. I’m surprisingly a shy person. I really don’t have an internal urge to be in front of people. I love leading worship and facilitating opportunities for people to pursue God. It is a gift to be in the middle of that kind of communal sharing with each other and with God, but what really excites me is identifying gifted persons and helping them learn how to use those gifts. So, me not singing much on this CD was just what happened. Most of these students are better at something than me, and it just so happened that they did a better job at leading each particular song than I would have. Oh, and I also think that after doing three other CDs, maybe I’ve grown bored with hearing myself so much.

JCB: The title track of the CD is “Here is Mercy,” is a song you wrote. How do you decide when to put your own songs on the CD and how did you decide to title the whole CD after your own song?

JB: Great question Josh. Again, I don’t want to belabor this point, but I really try to shun self-promotion. The main reason why my song became the title of the CD is because we have to come up with a title really quickly in order to get our CD design/layout artist, Chris Cox, something to work with. Honestly, “Here is Mercy” just seemed like an easy fit and it felt and sounded better than the others I was considering. Further, if I title the disc after another song by another artist that we are already licensing, then legally we have to pay them even more to use their title. At a gut level though, honestly, “Here is Mercy,” the song and its arrangement is something special to me. So, maybe at some gut level I felt safe titling the recording by that song because at a gut level I have peace with that song.

JCB: So you don’t have peace with other songs on the recording?

JB: I was afraid this might come up. Yeah, honestly, not all the songs on the CD are my favorite songs in the world. Well, know that I think of it, I do have peace about pretty much the whole of this particular CD.

JCB: But not some of the songs that have made CDs in the past?

JB: Honestly, yes, there are songs on previous records that weren’t my favorites.

JCB: So then why are they on the recording?

JB: I don’t pick any of the songs we sing in chapel because they are my personal favorites. I try to find music that will serve the students.

JCB: What does that mean? How do you know what will serve the students?

JB: It isn’t that I don't think about the faculty and staff who participate, but the students are my main focus. I’m still trying to figure out how to qualify or explain the parameters I use in song selection. Sometimes decisions on songs are made with very concrete, definitive reasons and sometimes we pick songs because it just feels right—we feel led to the song. Again, it is not the kind of leading that has to do with my musical preference. I’m sure my musical taste is part of a filter, but ultimately the questions I’m always asking are: who are these people? Who are these students? What are they learning? How is God speaking to them now? How does God’s specific purposes for our community relate and compare God’s work in the church throughout all time and to the greater truth of Christianity? I have to balance an immediate perspective with an historical perspective. If I only pick the hottest, juiciest rock worship songs of today then we miss out on the powerful and formative language of hymns. If we only do hymns, we miss out on the chance to contextualize our worship to a sound that makes sense to our musical sensibilities today. Anybody who has trouble with this needs to study church history and see how all of our greatest hymn writers were musically and theologically innovative while still being musically relevant to their day and age—not a kind of hackneyed competition with popular culture. I don’t want to compete with pop culture. That is impossible. Yet, I do want to respond to it, to subvert it and redeem it.

JCB: You just said something about picking song based on your feelings? Is that safe for a pastor…to lead based on feelings?

JB: Of course not. Worship isn’t about creating feelings. I’m trying to talk about that personal intuition that helps me hear God’s voice. I can trust this openness to God’s leading partially because I am someone who has been formed by the Scriptures. The Bible constrains the way I understand that God works and leads me. Further, I regularly present my decisions to the campus ministry staff and to my student leaders to see if what I’m considering makes sense to them. They know me well enough to help me distinguish between God’s voice and my own. I think we are getting off topic here though. How bout some more questions about the CD?

JCB: “All Hail Christ” is another song you wrote. I’ve heard from some people that it is a hard song to sing. What are your thoughts on that?

JB: All the worship songs I write are an experiment in some manner. “All Hail Christ” is definitely an example of an experiment.

JCB: Can you elaborate on that a bit more?

JB: Well, first of all writing a contemporary song is a very difficult thing to do. The people who can put together top 40 pop songs are geniuses in some degree. Academic careers have been built around the study of the elements of popular music to identify what makes them popular. I remember hearing about some guy who created a computer program that would listen to a song and tell you if it had any potential as a market success based on this audio researcher’s study of the distinguishing marks of the great pop music of the last thirty years. So, when I say my song writing is an experiment, I mean that I’m trying to respond different elements in rock music that I think can be redeemed and used to draw attention to God rather than the guitars and drums.

Further, I’ve studied hymns somewhat and I’m really interested in writing contemporary songs that are also a response to the greatest of hymns. Some people like Keith Getty and Stuart Townend and others have been described as ‘modern hymn writers.’ I think that is great music and a worthwhile endeavor. However, what I’m trying to do is take contemporary music seriously without watering down the lyrical content—the biblical and theological depth of the text. I read somewhere that that Charles Wesley’s hymns averaged two or three biblical allusions per line. I’m all for singing a chorus with some nice repetitive phrases that sink deep into our guts, but I’m more interested in trying to contribute something more rigorous to the development of contemporary Christian worship.

So, my song “Fairer” was based out of my meditation on “Fairest Lord Jesus” and “Psalm 19.” “Light of Jesus” was the result of my study of the Nicene Creed and the Gospel of John. “All Hail Christ” came out of my consideration of the great hymn “All Hail the Power of Jesus Name,” the single most published hymn in all of hymn publishing and also Charles Wesley’s “Rejoice the Lord is King.” “Here is Mercy” was a result of my reading of St. Augustine’s Confessions. He showed me that we can be theologically astute while still having warm, tender hearts all that the same time. None of these songs sound like hymns. Nor am I just trying to spice up an old hymn either. I really want these songs to sound contemporary. I don’t want them to sound like Praise and Worship music either, but that is a whole other conversation.

Now with “All Hail Christ,” my experiment was with vocal styling. I had a great discussion with Brad Richmond, choral instructor/director in the music department, a few years ago. He lamented the affect of electronic sound reinforcement on sacred music. In the past hymns were written to be sung with the full body, shoulders back, heads lifted, mouths open. You can’t sing “O For A Thousand Tongues to Sing” any other way than with your whole body. This seems to be a great loss, another example of how our Christian faith has less and less to do with our physical existence and more and more to do with our cerebral and emotional selves. So, if “All Hail Christ” is difficult to sing it is either because I overshot the experiment, or its because people today don’t know how to sing with their whole bodies. Maybe it's a matter of both.

JCB: I’m also aware that you were not the main mixing engineer this year. What led to the change? How has that affected the process this year.

JB: Its hard to not be in the central nerve of the post production of the CD, but ultimately it is a great thing for me personally to let go of. Paul Chamness has mixed the record for us this year. I still did a lot of editing and some mixing, but Paul carried the bulk of the weight. If you remember, I had a bilateral pulmonary embolism last Fall. That took away a good three almost four weeks of my semester. I couldn’t imagine disappearing into the studio that long this semester. And fortunately, Paul is much more qualified to mix the record than me anyway. It was an amazing gift that he gave us and me.

The record does sound better this year than ever, well of the records I’ve made these past four years. If there is anything that compromises the production quality of the records it is my insistence on riding the room mics up hotter in the mix than most mixers would like. It creates some raw ambient texture that isn’t as nice and polished as a pro, large distribution record might have. I find that ambient texture to be very meaningful. If we are going to be making these records from year to year, recording some of our own songs and re-recording other songs from other popular writers, then we need to put our own stamp on the recordings. They need to sound like us and feel like us. Again, back to the students, I want them to hear what our Dimnent chapel really sounds like and to remember God’s visitation in that place. So, if some think the record doesn’t sound as slick as some other worship records, that is because I don’t to sound like other worship records. It’s just us: a group of college students led by a hack of a musician (me) trying to trust Jesus for the worship life of a college campus.

David Foster Wallace on Worship...?

2010-02-22T00:30:00.007-05:00

My father in law recently mentioned to Susanna that he had read David Foster Wallace's 2005 commencement address at Kenyon. I barely know anything about David Foster Wallace. Wiki says he's been compared to Thomas Pynchon, but if you aren't a Lit major or a writer yourself, generally these are not authors that make it into table talk. So, we thought it was pretty cool that Susanna's dad was familiar with Foster Wallace, so suprised in fact that we hunted down the speech and found it in the library in a collection edited by David Eggers. I read it to Sus night before last. It has been troubling me ever since.

First, and I'm not saying this to suggest that I'm anywhere close the rank and file of a writer like Foster Wallace, but what really strikes me as eerie about the speech is that I have written something kinda similar myself. Specifically, he beat me to the punch with a description of the grocery store as a kind of domestic hell of tedious drudgery. Here is a snippet from Foster Wallace:

You have to wander all over the huge, overlit store's crowded aisles to find the stuff you want, and you have to maneuver your junky cart through all these other tired, hurried people with carts, and of course there are also the glacially slow old people and the spacey people and the ADHD kids who all block the aisle and you have to grit your teeth and try to be polite as you ask them to let you by, and eventually, finally, you get all your supper supplies, except now it turns out there aren't enough checkout lanes open even though it's the end-of-the-day-rush, so the checkout line is incredibly long, which is stupid and infuriating, but you can't take your fury out on the frantic lady working the register.

In 2004 I was working on a set of essays that I had hoped to from into something publishable. Here is an excerpt of my attempt to describe the same kind of impatience in a grocery store (and yes, it does feel weird to quote myself):

If I am able, after becoming exhausted from gathering my items for purchase, after walking up so many long isles, after walking past so many strangers, after treating all these strangers like strangers, after standing in line next to these strangers, after glancing over the covers of several exhaustingly ridiculous magazines, after looking at chocolate, after convincing myself that the women on these magazine covers are really not real, after paying with a debit card, after grabbing my bags to leave, and if right at that moment when I don’t need anything else from him or her, if right then I make an awkward attempt at being human by forcing a smile with a really sincere “you have a nice day too” maybe I will somehow change the world.

I swear, I've never read David Foster Wallace before this. I've always wanted to. Thought I should, but his suicide in 2008 has kept me from following through. I have had my own history of depression, and--I'm not trying to be cute here--I don't need another Elliot Smith in my life right now.

I'm further spooked by Foster Wallace's commencement address because he seems to get so much right--to see so honestly and clearly--yet his ultimate conclusions are so flabby. He so appropriately speaks a sobering word about the reality of adult life, that much of life is not glamorous but is the challenge of enduring the daily grind, the monotony of our jobs and domestic chores, chores like grocery shopping. Our work is primarily a labor of perspective, of seeing properly. Either we can hate our trips to the grocery store or we can re-envision the encounter with a kind of humble, somewhat optimistic patience. Yet the life lesson he offers is offered sheepishly, almost on the sly. He is so keen to offer his insight, yet he is even more keen to not assert his perspective on the listener. He attempts to say so much, yet he's reluctant to say anything with more than a whimper of conviction.

Again, please don't think that I'm giving you moral advice, or that I'm saying you're "supposed to" think this way, or that anyone expects you to just automatically do it, because it's hard, it takes will and mental effort, and if you're like me, some days you won't be able to do it, or you just flat-out won't want to.

And I take it that he assumes that this kind of passive, sage voice is suppose to be admirable. This seems to be the voice of our age offering college graduates something that in sum goes like this: "here are some thoughts I've had about life and learning, but ultimately what I think doesn't matter dude...ultimately it's all up to you to figure it out for yourself."

Here is my final example of what spooks me about the Foster Wallace address: he stumbles upon some language that could come straight out of an evangelical sermon:

Because here's something else that's true. In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.

Foster Wallace's definition of truth is straight out of William James' pragmatism. He goes on to offer pluralistic disclaimers--that each of us can choose which spirituality or religion we prefer, but essentially he is saying that we become like the object of our worship whether it be money, our own bodies or our intellects.

Christian wisdom teaches that the daily grind of our lives, the tedium and boredom of each day is fundamentally a result of the Fall. From the Genesis account, the strain and monotony of daily existence are a consequence of our rebellion. It is "by the sweat of your brow, you will earn your daily bread." Yes, we are called to re-envision each day, to redeem it from the grip of soul-sick repetition, but this isn't a task we have the power to accomplish on our own. The only God who can redeem the long hours of our days is the God who entered into time, lived under its curse and triumphed over time's greatest threat, death. It is the uniqueness of Christianity's incarnate, time bound, time redeeming God that gives me the courage to hold my convictions--with conviction.

The Necessity of Fear

2010-02-18T20:42:00.005-05:00

One of the convictions that motivates my concern for the arts and artists is the notion that the creative process itself is not something limited to artists. The creative process is the concern of any living, vibrant being. To be human is to be creative. Each of us make dozens—maybe even hundreds of creative decisions each day. Some decisions are small (how much toothpaste to squeeze onto your toothbrush, a decision of technique) and some are large (how to engage in and sustain a vibrant conversation with another person, decisions of love and trust). We decide what clothes to wear, how to style our hair, whether to walk to work or drive, what to eat for lunch, how to communicate with co-workers. All these decisions can to some extent contain a creative impulse that makes the difference between a boring and an interesting day, the difference between a vibrant and a banal life. It seems possible that someone might breathe, eat and sleep and yet be for all purposes dead to the creative life we have been designed to experience—to be a living dead person.

Many of us are stuck in this quagmire of living death because we are trapped by fear.

One of my goals is to demystify the creative process, to remove the intimidation so that anyone might take a good, close study of what artists do and glean some insight into their own creative decisions as a result—to look over the shoulder of a professional artist in order to understand our own creative journeys. The creative process for an artist is merely a condensed, focused and deliberate act of being human. If there were an ESPN-like network for the arts, I would have a cable subscription and be glued to the TV. Nothing is more thrilling to me than watching an artist in the studio, to watch something emerge out of raw materials, sweat, deliberation and time into something tangible—something for an audience to behold.

So, I encourage everyone, even if you’re not a songwriter or a musician to consider my following reflections.

I read an interview with Matt Berninger, singer of the National, last night. The interview is the most transparent account from the lips of a highly respected rocker that I’ve read. When I heard the National’s Boxer, it was one of the few times in my life that I could tell from the first song, that the record would sustain itself with integrity from track to track. I managed to find a used copy of the band’s 2001 release, Brassland. I disliked that CD so much that I haven’t bothered to put it on my computer or ipod. Now after reading the interview about their pending release, I can see that this is a band that works hard to improve and stretch itself in the creative process. In hindsight, it is impressive to see what a band can learn about itself in the space of six years, the time between 2001’s Brassland and 2007’s Boxer. What impressed me so about Berninger’s interview was his ability to confess his struggle. He speaks of the band’s infighting, the hours spent working away at lyrics, his reluctance to listen to music while he’s in the thick of the creative process for fear that his own work might seem fruitless:

I missed an entire year of music in some ways. I listen to a song or two from people that I loved, just for inspiration here and there, but I don't know if it actually worked. I think it just frustrated me. You know, when you hear something you love so much and you feel like you're getting nowhere with a song, it often just makes it even harder to write to it.

David Bayles and Ted Orland wrote a classic text that all artists should read, Art and Fear. Here is a quote I return to often that captures the spirit of what the book speaks to, “You’re not up to the task…you can’t do it, or can’t do it well, or can’t do it again; or that you’re not a real artist, or not a good artist, or have no talent, or have nothing to say.”

My assumption is that all of us have felt this way about something in our lives. Each of us fundamentally struggle with the significance of each of our own accomplishments. We go to bed at night wondering if what we have applied ourselves to during the preceding hours of the day was worth anything. The artist is only in a more vulnerable position because when she finishes her day’s work, she hopes an audience will behold the culmination of her work and decide whether or not her energies were fruitful or not. The artist is consistently looking over her shoulder in a very particular manner, and the more successful the artist, the higher the expectation and accompanying fear.

Being human, being creative, implies regularly facing fear. What we fear plainly reveals who we are essentially in the core of our beings. This is why as Christians we understand what may seem troubling to someone outside the faith, that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Fear is powerful. It can either smother us and kill us, or it can be an opportunity. Fear is the thrill that we conquer in the struggle of our faith in the deliberate, intentional labor of the creative processes of our lives. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, that overcomes all doubt, all fear. When the writer sits before a blank page, a painter at a blank canvas or a mother wakens with a newborn child or a plumber or banker returns to another day of the grind or a teacher to her students, the question is if we have faith to believe that there are good things in store for each day, that one hope-filled creative decision will lead to another creative opportunity and to another.

Underneath this is a question of hope and optimism. It is a question of whether we can become more than what we are today. Can a person really change?

I’ve always struggled with the parable of the sower. If I was there with the disciples when Jesus explained the difference between the good soil, the rocky soil and the soil with thorny weeds my immediate question would have been, can a person become a different kind of soil? Can the rocky soil become fertile?

These are not just abstract reflections. My last four years have been terrifying in many ways. The move from my comfortable community in Oklahoma into public leadership—from teaching sixth graders to becoming a very public figure at Hope College—this has been a struggle. I’m an introvert for goodness sake! My marriage has been tested and stretched with Susanna and I being strong willed, independent people and with her living in Valparaiso during the week these past two years. My own art has been fraught with fear and insecurity. I’m still working on a record I began four years ago. I’m eight years into my master’s degree with only one final writing project left before graduation.

Yes, I’ll boast in my weakness.

At times fear has suffocated me, yet it is the fear that has forced me to become a different kind of leader, a different kind of husband and a different kind of artist. Yes, by the grace of God, we can change and become much more than we could ever imagine on our own. The past four years have been a further excursion in the pursuit of living life vibrantly and creatively.

I want my experience to be an encouragement to you. There is more, but our fears we will have to face.

Now unto Him who is able to abundantly more than anything we could ever ask or imagine, be blessing and glory, honor, power and majesty forever.

Here’s a link to an interview with Junot Diaz, a favorite author, from narrativemagazine.com. You’ll need to register to the website, but its free and a good read. Consider Diaz’ response to the question of faith in the writing process.

Another Excerpt From For the Beauty of the Church

2010-02-06T11:45:00.001-05:00

David Taylor has posted an excerpt of my chapter from the book he's edited, For the Beauty of the Church: Casting a Vision for the Arts. He was just at Calvin last weekend leading a few workshops during Calvin College's annual worship symposium. Susanna and I took him out for some Indian food later that evening. I had to order this dish they called "Rogan Josh" because I wanted to know if something with my name in it could be tasty. Good food with a good brother--something that was good for my soul too. It is really nice to pick up where we left off with David last time. An aside: it was four years ago that we first met with David in Grand Rapids. Susanna was presenting at Calvin's Festival of Faith and Writing and David had just made his contact with Baker to sign a publication agreement. It was also during that weekend that I made my first visit to Hope College and began the interview process to take the postion I now have with Campus Ministries. It is faith building to consider what can happen in four years.

I met with the head editor of Baker at the end of the summer for lunch and we talked a bit about who exactly will be the readers of this book. Of course we want pastors and lay leaders to read it, but the question is how to get it into their hands. Maybe artists will need to read it first and then tell their pastors about it. So, here is another plug to try to get the word out. Less than one month till its release! I'll admit that looking through the table of contents on Amazon gave me butterflies in my stomach. It is hard to believe my chapter is in such amazing company: David Taylor, Eugene Peterson, John Witvliet, Lauren Winner, Jeremy Begbie, Barbara Nicolosi, and Andy Crouch.

09-10 Chapel CD is under production

2010-02-04T18:39:00.003-05:00

First off, I'm not mixing the record this year. It was hard to let go of, but I realized that after doing it three years straight, it may be a good time to learn from someone else and see what he might make of our tracks. So, Paul Chamness, our tech director is at the helm. So far from what I've heard, I'm really happy. The further good news is that I'm not working 12 hour days right now without any days off like I have in the past. That means I can actually focus on the worship leading and manage the overal production schedule of the CD with greater care. We have a title and just yesterday, I approved a cover design. My hope is to get things in such a solid place that I'll be able to go to the Arts Pastors retreat at Laity Lodge March 4-7. Susanna and I will not be able to take our annual trip to the Dominican Republic because our Spring Breaks are a whole week apart from each other. I'm really lamenting having to miss out on that trip.

Here is a working list of songs for the CD (not in order):

Sing Praise to God--re-worked hymn done by Jonathan Ytterock, one of my student leaders
Come Ye Sinners
Kwake Jesu--a Swahili song that the students really love
Take My Life--we've kept the original hymn tune but used Passion's added chorus
You'll Come--Hillsongs
Oh You Bring--Hillsongs
Desert Song--Hillsongs
All Hail Christ--one of my mine
Here is Mercy--another new one from me

There may be a few more added in the next week, but this is the core of it so far. I just realized that I don't lead any of these songs! What a difference four years of being in this ministry will do. I've really grown to trust my leaders because they really are great people and talented. The artwork is being done by Chris Cox, a junior. It is a deep delight to see our humble little crew of college students do so much. If you are interested, I've got tons of pictures of these guys on my facebook page. Here's some links:

Christmas Party 2010
Spring End of the Year Dinner

State of the Union

2010-01-28T19:07:00.001-05:00

I've been wondering if my silence on politics has been telling to some of you. My last entry was back in February last year. It seems that even by then I was already straining toward some sort of optimism about our new president. I've been trying to hang on to much of that same optimism, but honestly it is getting harder and harder. I wasn't able to hear the State of the Union address and haven't had the inclination to read it either. Mostly, I'm not sure that I'll be encouraged by what he had to say.

These are hard things to write. It is not a matter of protecting my ego because I fear eating humble pie. It is hard to write about these things because hanging on to hope is vulnerable. There is a reason why lots of people avoid talking about politics and religion. It's scary. Yet, what I'm trying to do here with this blog is put forth some thoughts on these kinds of important matters precisely because we need to be talking with each other. We need to be sharing our ideas. The only true hope of our democracy is if we can continue to practice the art of good, charitable conversation. What truly tempts me to despair is the lack of good, thoughtful dialogue. What saddens me most right now is not just the sobering difficulties of Obama's first year, but the further partisanship, a further tearing apart of our country. Some might argue that it is Obama's overly ambitious first year that has caused this rift. Yet, my suspicion is that these are deep divisions that have always existed in our country. Obama's presidency has just brought those divisions to the surface.

I really appreciate my friendship with David Taylor. He's the one who has edited this book I have a chapter forthcoming in, For the Beauty of the Church. During the writing of that essay, David continued to encourage me to keep the voice of my writing optimistic and hopeful and to avoid condescension. David wanted me to maintain the voice of a loving pastor who can come alongside people with humble help. It is no surprise that David recently quotted Conan O'Brian's final words on the tonight show (see below) in his blog. I find it ironic that it is a satirist who is challenging us consumers of popular culture to remain optimistic. I don't know very many satirists left who I think are still truly satirists. Most have just become scoffers making a living tearing things down cashing in on the fact that misery loves company. But here are some bright words that I think about after the State of the Union.

"To all the people watching, I can never thank you enough for your kindness to me and I'll think about it for the rest of my life. All I ask of you is one thing: please don't be cynical. I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere.

Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen."

What Music Feeds Your Soul? VII

2010-01-25T22:51:00.005-05:00

A local worship leader and I have exchanged some song ideas this past year. In our last exchange I made mention of our use of corporate readings of creeds, prayer and confessions. He asked me to elaborate on these things and I thought I’d use the occasion to post these thoughts for others (Hope students especially) to consider. I’ve placed this in the “What Music Feeds Your Soul?” series because it seems to me that my convictions about corporate readings fits into the discussion I’ve been developing about music that not only expresses our true feelings and thoughts to God, but music that forms us into the kinds of worshipers that God intends us to be.

In an email this leader asked,

“What you were saying about corporate readings, creeds, and confessions is interesting to me. Do you feel that is great for the Hope [College] culture specifically, or the Reformed Church? Or do you see it working well in church across the board?”

First off, let me say my journey toward these more traditional movements in worship has been a long one. My background is contemporary, independent, non-denominational churches. Ultimately what motivates me to practice readings, and confessions is a sense necessity; to feed and nourish our worshiping community, I need far more than what the typical contemporary worship song can offer alone by itself. I really enjoy and get excited about the possibilities of new music, but without the greater context of these more deliberate worship movements, contemporary music can seem vacuous and even exhausting. It is like I’m chasing fads jonesing for the newest just because it is new. I’m leery of Churches trying to compete with popular culture, yet I am enthusiastic about contextualization—finding a kind of music that makes sense to the students I lead. These historical worship practices have become a source of comfort in how they relieve the burdens of my leadership. These are worship practices that have served the church for a long time and so I can be sure the Spirit will continue to work through them still today. I know that seems like a counter-intuitive statement to our contemporary way of thinking—that all things fade and become obsolete. In my experience and in my reasoning, I’ve come to see that this is just not true. There are historical practices that endure. The trouble is not so much with the tradition, but with the vitality of the practice of the tradition. Tradition has nourished most of the world’s greatest cultures. Our present culture is ahistorical, and this is historically a young and seemingly naïve view of the past.

Jaroslav Pelikan’s well quoted statement is very helpful, “Tradition is the living faith of those who are dead while traditionalism is the dead faith of those who are living.”

I’ll lay out some thoughts here, but for further reference I encourage you to consider any of the late Robert Webber’s books especially The Divine Embrace: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life. Webber is the person who coined the term “ancient-future faith,” what has also been called “blended worship.” I’m afraid I have seen Webber’s good thoughts turned into another kind of contemporary trendiness where the worship seems like a strange hodge-podge. The last thing we want is to create a kind of “worship mutt” that pays lip service to different traditions out of a sense of obligation. At Hope, we’ve felt very led toward these practices. It has taken time, and thanks to the work of the Spirit, it seems to me that we have learned how to combine both old and new worship expressions in a way that doesn’t feel forced or awkward.

So yes, I believe there is a way for any and all churches to learn the disciplines of corporate readings and confessions. Yet, how and when this becomes the regular practice of a church will depend on discernment and patience. The dean of our chapel, Tryg Johnson, had already started movement in this direction before I started at Hope College four years ago. This campus ministry has always been committed to taking communion every week, but Tryg added the recitation of the complete words of institution when serving. He also started our habit of beginning each service by lighting a candle and invoking the presence of the Triune God, and he also initiated the practice of ending each service by singing the doxology. In the past two years we’ve added weekly corporate recitation of either the Apostle’s or the Nicene Creed along with corporate confession. This year we’ve also made a weekly practice of a ‘prayer of the people’ that encompasses prayer concerns both locally and globally.

All of this is principally a question of the liturgical shape of the wholeness of a worship service, an intention to guide worshipers through rhythms that continue catechetical formation. Most contemporary styled churches don’t have formal catechism, some type of believer confirmation. Some don’t even have church membership anymore. Yet, all churches, even a ‘seeker’ church, will need to somehow provide direction for believers to mature in their faith. It is interesting to note that the contemporary model tends to draw a distinction between the purpose of a sermon in relation to the rest of the service. The music is often used only as a call to worship, a way to warm the hearts and make worshipers ready and attentive to the sermon, and in this case the sermon then is the primary tool used to form the believer. This distinction does a disservice to both the music and the sermon. We consider the whole of the service to be worship and the whole of the service to be teaching—in some way forming believers into the character of Christ.

I don’t intend to offer an exhaustive explanation of these worship practices here, but I can tick through some of the ideas that mean a lot to me.

I appreciate that the direction we’ve been moving in is more intentional in being thorough in its worship leading. In my previous entry on “What Music Feeds Your Soul?” I listed various categories that fill out what I’ve called “Full Gospel Worship.” The point is that the local worshiping community needs to cover the whole amount of Biblical teaching. The task is daunting. While the non-denominational Bible churches that I grew up in claimed to be especially concerned about teaching the Bible, what that really meant was that they wanted the pastor to go much deeper into the exposition of specific books of the Bible. Compare this to the common practice of preaching the lectionary, a schedule that leads a congregation through the whole Bible in three years. The former expositional model emphasizes the depth of teaching and the teaching powers of the preacher. Further, it places the emphasis of the service upon the sermon as the high point of worship. The lectionary model emphasizes breadth of Biblical reading and places the sermon alongside the many important movements of the worship service.

We have chosen not to preach through the lectionary and follow the church calendar closely in the context of our campus ministry primarily because we are on break during the high holy days. Yet, we do want our worship to be as thorough as possible.

In terms of music, my concern is to find songs that cover a larger breadth of the Bible’s teaching. If we had an index of Biblical references for the bulk of most popular contemporary worship music, we’d find that most of our songs seem to be rather repetitive of a select few Biblical themes. What I notice most often is an overemphasis on the atonement, “Jesus, you died for my sins…your blood washes me and now I’ll spend eternity with you.” This is of course our Good News, but there are many other themes that a believer needs to regularly rehearse.

This brings me then to the help of corporate readings: these corporate readings help me frame the songs in a more deliberate manner that leads to more thorough worship. It is an issue of attention to worship language. How many of us listen to music but rarely concentrate on the language? I know I do. I had high school students who used to tell me this was their rationale for listening to hard-core hip-hop. I’m not talking about that kind of a lack of attention to lyrics (because I don’t know how it is possible to tune out such shocking lyrics). My concern is that while we may be aware of what we are singing, we may not fully engage the lyrics because we get lost in the emotions of a song. I’m thankful for corporate readings if only because they remind our worshippers that we really care about language. My hope is that we can do the readings with a pace that fosters alertness to all of the language used in the whole of the service. We want to lead our worshipers into a full worship: heart, mind, soul, strength. With this kind of attention, then the worshipers can see the deliberate connectivity that we have laid out between the music, the prayers and the sermon.

Speaking more directly to the importance of specific elements, let’s consider the value of corporate confession. The weekly corporate confession is a very tangible way for us to examine ourselves and receive forgiveness. I insert a moment of silence either before or after the reading to allow for a movement of the Spirit, for each individual to remember their sins. The advantage of confessing corporately is the awareness that we are not alone in our struggle against sin and darkness. We can take comfort in knowing that our brothers and sisters all around us are contending for righteous and holiness in their lives too. Finally, the best part of the corporate confession is the Words Of Assurance. Some may fear that corporate confession seems heavy and can lead to shame and soul sick guilt. The Words Of Assurance allow us to accept God’s grace and mercy which he so freely lavishes on us. Recently I’ve been drawing from Ephesians chapter one for this kind of rich language of our inheritance in Christ. Pronouncing the Words of Assurance is one of my favorite parts of the service.

There is much that could be said about the importance of the creeds. I’ll highlight two things: first it is the same question of thoroughness that I mentioned above. The creeds help us cover the core and yet full dimensions of our faith in summary form. Their substantial worth to the church is inestimable. Second, the creeds connect us with the church universal. There is so much division in the body of Christ that it is a joy to regularly rehearse the teachings that orthodox believers have confessed in common for centuries, across generations and cultures. The modern self—or the so-called post-modern self—is a person who is for the most part adrift without moorings for their identity. The driving forces of our culture are attempts to help the individual define him or herself out of the vacuum of the self. The creeds are sure footing because they help us maintain our participation in the ground laid by the witness of Christ through the church throughout the bulk of the church’s history. This is the testimony of our faith that many have articulated before me, that we have not created our faith just like any other cultural expression. Instead, it is our faith that creates us; it is our creedal confessions that make us essentially who we are.

I’ll conclude by confessing that I’m still really new in all of this. I’m not formally trained in liturgical coursework. I’m having to learn as I go, and the final result of what we bring together may not necessarily be the bread and butter of the Reformed Church in America partly because what I’ve come to understand is that there is variety within the RCA in how churches practices liturgy. My hope in offering these thoughts through the blog is to grab the attention of some (especially of our students) who may have perhaps never considered how thorough and beautifully intentional a service can be crafted, a kind of intentionality that does not constrict the work of God by stodgy ritualism, but instead works together to artfully demonstrate our collective love for Jesus.

Our tragedy and a remembrance

2010-01-20T18:57:00.002-05:00

We lost two students on Sunday morning in a terrible plane crash. David Otai and Emma Biagioni were two of our brightest and most beloved. I knew David well and Emma in passing. I'm not ready to say much about the pain we are experiencing here, but since this is Civil Rights Awareness week on campus and since David, a beautiful Kenyan young man, taught me how to sing a song in Swahilli, a song that has helped shape my heart for growing diversity here at Hope College, I want to offer the prayer I wrote for the ending of our march of remembrance across campus today as a remembrance of him too.

This isn't the greatest prayer about these issues of reconciliation and healing. It is my first of its type, but it's been a significant experience for me to write it. I only wish I could have looked back in the group of gathered students, staff and faculty to see David's face. I borrowed loosely from a few prayers found in The Worship Sourcebook put out by the Calvin Institute of Worship, a great resource.

Friends, Brothers and Sisters,

As we gather here at the end of our march, it is no insignificant thing that we end with prayer. As we remember the courage of Yuri Kochiyama, Viola Liuzzo and Irena Sendler, as we remember the suffering of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. many of us want to do something, to take action and not to stand idly by while injustices continue all around us in this world, in our country, our own state and our city.

I am reminded of the life and work of the late Henri Nouwen, a brilliant scholar who left his teaching at both Yale and Harvard to serve physically and mentally handicapped adults in the Le Arch community in Toronto, Canada. In his book The Wounded Healer, Nouwen writes about his own experiences of solidarity with the poor in Central and South America. For Nouwen Jesus is our model of a full, complete human being, because Jesus is the consummate activist and contemplative. Jesus is the ultimate ‘wounded healer’ because it is only in Jesus that we see suffering fully answered by justice.

It is in contemplation and prayer that we reflect on our Gospel hope and gain vision for Gospel action.
In this spirit, as we remember these people of action, those who have suffered, it is appropriate that our first response before God is silence.

Would you please join me in a moment of silence.

Father of mercy,
open our eyes, that we may see the pain of others.
Open our ears, that we may hear their cries.
Open our hearts, do not let them be without help.
Let us not be afraid to defend the oppressed
because of the indifference of the strong,
Let us not be afraid of solidarity with the marginalized
because of the indifference of our society
and even the indifference of our neighbors.

Show us where love and hope are needed,
and use us to be agents of peace and givers of love.
Open our eyes and ears, so that today we may
help establish your kingdom upon the earth.

We hear the Spirit’s call to love one another,
to oppose discrimination of race, sexual orientation or gender
We hear the Spirit’s call to accept the other,
to love those we don’t know or understand,
to call the stranger our brother, the outsider our sister
and to share with them our homes,
our marriages, families and friendship,
to share our jobs, our churches and our government
and so to fulfill the love of Christ.

We give our thanks for the men and women
of the past and the present
who in the face of loneliness,
monotony, misunderstanding, and danger
have persisted in their work of shalom,
to establish peace on this earth.

We pray to you, O Lord, our God and Father,
because we are encouraged by the example of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our brother. By the power of your Spirit
teach us to love as Jesus loved, to go where Jesus would go,
to touch those who Jesus would touch, to listen as Jesus would listen,
to bless as Jesus would bless, to forgive as Jesus would forgive.
And so we fix our attention on him, in who is life and whose life
is the light of all of humanity, unto him be all blessing
and glory and honor and power forever and ever. AMEN