Songs About the Word

   So...it's been a few months since I've written anything. Honestly it's been a few months since I've felt like I had breathing space to write anything. In fact I probably don't have as much breathing room right now as I think but writing is cathartic and helpful.
   I thought I'd share another look into song choice and how much thought goes into a service some weeks. The theme of this weeks message is "Maniacally Get More Milk" from 2 peter 3-10. I don't know what all Pastor Jack is going to talk about, but obviously we are going to be focusing on the importance of the Word of God. With that in mind, here is my setlist for this Sunday...

• Marvelous Light (Charlie Hall song from a few years ago)
• Jesus, Firm Foundation (the new arrangement of "How Firm a Foundation")
• Standing on the Promises (Baptist Hymnal #335)
• Ancient Words (Lynn Deshazo song made popular by Michael W. Smith)
• Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus (Baptist Hymnal #320)

   I'll come back to Marvelous Light in a moment. The Hymn "How Firm a Foundation" takes a scriptural promise in each of it's 7 verses (only 4 in the hymnal today). It begins with the premise that there is no greater foundation than the Word of God and Jesus Christ as revealed therein.  Because of this, I felt like this was a great way to highlight the importance of God's word even as we sing.  Moving from there to "Standing on the Promises" seemed like a great transition. We finish a song that highlights promises from the Word and then declare that we stand on those promises for life.

   Ancient Words is a great song (in my opinion) that reminds us that the words we read in the Bible are not new.  They are not a passing fad.  They have withstood the test of time because they are God's truth as breathed to life by God himself.  

   As I tried to find a song to end the service with, I struggled. There are several more songs that speak about God's word (obviously) but I felt like we needed more of a vertically charged song.  Something to remind us that God is in the room with us. I felt like "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" while not a fully vertical song (one sang directly to God) was a song that helps make the connection between the word of God on paper (or phones, tablets, etc) and the Word became flesh that dwelt among us. The Time of Commitment song will be "Open the Eyes of My Heart" which finishes the focusing by being a truly vertical song asking God to help us receive His truth.

   Back to Marvelous Light...this is our new song for the month of September (I know it isn't really new, but it is to our congregation).  I had this song in mind for the month, but kept setting it aside as being too youth campy.  So I started looking at other songs and had even chosen one. It had a nice feel to it and I thought it would work nicely. However, after looking at it a bit more closely, I began to feel that it wasn't theologically 100% sound. It's not a bad song, but the theology is a tad bit off. So as I came back to square one, Marvelous Light kept coming to mind. I read through the lyrics, prayed about, and realized that the truths contained therein were ideal for this time of year. As we go back to school, work, schedules, what better reminder than the thought that we have been called out of the darkness and into God's marvelous light. 

   I'm excited to get to lead these songs in our congregation this Sunday. I pray that wherever you worship this week, that the Word of God would speak to you in fresh ways and that you open yourself to receive that truth. 

Hymns...for or against...

   Hymns can be a divisive topic in church life.  To sing songs from the hymnal or not is a question many churches wrestle with.  As a worship leader with a rich tradition of worship, I find it quite natural to lead with a mix of newer as well as older songs of the faith.  Occasionally I find that lyrics within these old songs express my heart as well or better than the modern songs.  Sometimes, I find that songs written within that last year help me praise God in a way that an older song does not.  When it comes down to whether we should sing this song or that song, I think much more emphasis should be put upon what the song is expressing than on how old the song is or the style of music that relays the song's message.

   Each member of a congregation is going to have their own culture of worship that they grew up with and most appreciate.  Some prefer the old songs they have sung for years.  Some prefer to learn the new songs and join a new generation in expressing their love and devotion to God.  I think the trick is to find a cultural balance.  In a way I like the picture of each church having their own hymn book. The songs that resonant most with the majority of the congregation are added to the book and those songs (old or new) that don't help a congregation praise God get set to the side.

   So, do I like hymns?  I love them!  Do I enjoy new songs?  Indeed!  Do I have a preference? Of course I do.  My personal culture of worship probably leans more towards newer song styles.  That being said, when we sing a song written in the 1800's we are joining our voices with the great cloud of witnesses whose voices  have sing those words before us.  When we sing psalms from the scriptures, we are joining our voices to even more generations of worshipers.  When we sing a brand new song that expresses our heart's love for God, we are joining with future generations of worshipers who will sing these songs after us.

   Think about it...every old song was once new.  Not every song that Charles Wesley, Fannie Crosby, William Cowper, and B.B. McKinney wrote are still being sung.  Not every song that Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, David Crowder, and Rend Collective Experiment are writing will stand the test of time. We sing the songs that speak what we desire to say to God.  There is a place for old, new, traditional, and different music in the worship of our Lord and Savior.

   Sing a song of praise to the Lord...

New Baby!

Do you ever get the urge to just do something?  For me, I've had the urge to write a new blog post for a couple of weeks.  I simply haven't taken the time to sit down and do it.  Part of the problem is that I'm not sure what you write about.  I've had several thoughts...

• New baby in the Harris house.
• My thoughts on hymns and their current usefulness in worship.
• Motivation behind our actions as Christians.
• Blessings in life that ought to be appreciated.
• and more...

So...what's it going to be...I'll start with something brief...Ian Patrick Harris joined the world on March 6th, 2013.  He was born at 10:12 pm, weighed 8lbs 8oz, and was 20 3/4 inches long.  He is a healthy, contented, little redhead.  His siblings think it is very cool to have a baby brother.  His  Momma is recovering well and delighted with the new addition. I am so proud  of her and Ian.  I'm also extremely humbled that God would allow me to have three such beautiful and healthy children.  Kids are a blessing and I pray that God would remind me of that with every dirty diaper, hug, tantrum, piece of artwork,  excited greeting when I come home, and frustration.  I pray that I raise up my children in then way they should go.  I pray that I am an example to them of what a Godly man should be.  Thank you Lord for entrusting me with these three young hearts.

How Often are You Eating?

   A friend of mine (David Manner) posted an interesting thought on twitter yesterday, and it has stuck with me today as I work.  He said "If you eat only one meal a week, you will always demand food that you like."
   This statement was made in relation to the conflict that arises in many churches concerning worship styles and preferences.  If we only worship God once a week (Sunday Mornings) we will always want that experience to be what we like.  Hymns, Praise Choruses, Liturgical prayers, Spontaneously letting the Spirit lead, etc...  This led me to a question in my mind...how often do I (or you) worship during the week?
   I think the biggest challenge for me in this question is our definition of worship.  Too many times we call worship that portion in a church service when we are singing.  If that is the extent of our definition of worship, it's no wonder that many people don't even think about worshiping during the rest of the week.  I mean how many of us have a band, choir, and projection system in the garage that we can whip out each evening?
   Our definition of worship has to be expanded.  What if we defined worship as "Our response to God for all He has done for us."  A simple definition, one that definitely doesn't cover all there is to think about worship, but let's run with it.  This would include singing to God in a corporate setting.  However, it would also include so much more...Prayers for help, prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of intercession are all appropriate responses to God's presence in our lives.  Taking care of our spouse and children, visiting our parents, and working at our job as if we are working for Jesus, all of these are things that we can do in response to how God has blessed us.  Even doing the dishes can become an act of worship when we take time to recognize God's presence with us in both the mundane and exciting times of life.
   So let's ask the question I asked with the title of this blog...how often are you eating?  Are you living each day as a gift from God or as just a step to the next promotion, vacation, or weekend?  Are you taking time to see God at work around you and thank Him for working in your life, or are you simply going through the motions  required to accomplish the task at hand.  If you don't look for God, pray to God, and thank God in the day to day, how will you recognize Him when He is present in the Sunday morning Worship Service?  Our worship is to be the purpose of our lives, when it becomes simply one more thing on our to do list, we become consumers who will often times demand our way because that is what we do with everything we consume.
   Can I challenge you and me to start eating a bit more often? Look for God today, He's there...

Newspaper Article Week 4

~Love~

   We have spent the last three weeks looking at the candles of Advent. We have looked at how HOPE, PEACE, and JOY can come from knowing Jesus Christ as Savior.  We have also looked at how these things interact with each other.  Now we get to LOVE.  Our society thinks it knows all about love.  We have song upon song upon song upon song and then some telling us what love looks like.  We talk about falling in love, falling out of love, having a heart full of love, and having our hearts broken.  So what does it mean when we sing “Love came down at Christmas, love all lovely, love divine.”

   In John 15:13 the Bible tells us “Greater Love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  1 John 3:16 tells us “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”  Jesus came and was born as a baby in order that he might lay His life down for us.  The crazy thing is He came when the majority of the world wouldn’t have called Him a friend.  In fact we see how the world ended up treating Him.  They hung Him on a cross.  Love came down at Christmas…a love that lasts forever despite our tendency to throw it to the side…a love that is stronger than any struggle and gives a peace that surpasses all understanding…a love that fills our hearts with a joy that can’t be taken away.

   I hope that this Christmas Season you have experienced Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love.  I hope that you have experienced these things with Jesus as the Lord of your life.  If not…it’s not too late!  John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life.”  That life eternal filled with hope, peace, joy, and love can be yours today.  Accept the gift today. 

Newspaper Article Week 3

~Joy~

   If you were to rate on a scale from 1-10 how much joy you have in your life, where would you land?  I’m not talking about being happy.  I’m not talking about putting a smile on your face and acting like everything is perfect all the time. In fact I am not even talking about the Webster Dictionary definition of joy…

the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying;

    I’m talking about that feeling of peace, of purpose, of ABUNDANT LIFE… that is found in the person whose heart is belongs to Jesus.  I’m talking about a person who has trusted in Jesus as their savior and knows that their future is secure.  Imagine how your life could be.  Instead of trusting in an emotion of great delight caused by something good, your joy would come from knowing who you are and whose you are. You are God’s unique creation. You are adopted into God’s family despite your inability to earn that position.  That little baby we celebrate at this time of year is more than a nice story or pretty picture.  He came that you might have HOPE, enjoy PEACE, and experience an abundant life full of JOY!  For this reason we sing Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King…it’s not a happy feeling, it’s the knowledge that you are loved and desired.  When we allow Jesus His righteous place on the throne of our lives, we can experience a joy that this world cannot touch.

   I guess the dictionary might have gotten it partially right…Joy is the emotion and great delight/happiness caused by something exceptionally good/satisfying…True joy is only found when that exceptionally good/satisfying something is the love and lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives.  Then when the world falls to pieces around you, you can rest assured in the knowledge that the One who holds you is taking those pieces and working all things to the good of those who love Him.  I hope that you are experiencing that joy in your life this Christmas Season. 

Newspaper Article Week 2--Peace

Here's the Week 2 newspaper article...

~Peace~

   Do you know what I find interesting…I think that the four Candles (themes) of Advent can build on each other.  So without further ado, let’s look at how Hope leads to Peace.

   I don’t know if you've ever felt hopeless.  I think people who do tend to react in one of two ways.  They either give up or they fight back.  Some people simply stop trying.  They figure that if there is no hope of a better tomorrow then why try to change/love/grow/create/imagine/strive etc…  On the other side of the spectrum, you have those who fight back.  They push hard against anything and anyone they feel they can beat in order to exert control in some areas of life since they feel lost in others.  For people on both sides of this coin, the fight to simply care enough to try or the fight to maintain a semblance of control can be exhausting.

   But I think that is where we see hope and peace colliding.  For the person who has given up, they now have something to live for; a future that is brighter than today.  For the fighter, they now have a glimpse of something good that isn't dependent upon them winning another fight.  When Jesus came, we were all offered a hope for the future.  A future home in heaven, and a purpose here on earth.  With that hope comes a peace of striving less on our own strength.  With that hope comes a peace of knowing that the future is in hands that are eternal and strong.  There is a peace that can overwhelm our souls when we give ourselves over to the Hope of the World—Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

   That peace can be yours…You can stop attempting to make it on your own.  You can give your helplessness and your fighting over to the one who gives strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.  That is the peace that surpasses all understanding.  That is the peace Jesus Christ brought to the world.