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You’re Going To Be Pegged

I am not a classically trained musician. I play primarily by ear, I prefer to read chord charts, I’ve never had voice lessons, I don’t conduct choirs, and I can’t play the organ. I’ve been playing guitar since the age of 7 (I took several years of lessons, some with pretty advanced music theory), and piano since the age of 18. On piano I’m mostly all self-taught, and don’t pretend to be able to play classical piano or accompany choirs or sight-read sheet music.

I love classical music, traditional hymns, choral anthems, liturgy, organ, strings, brass, and everything in-between (well, maybe not polka). An objective analysis (if there was going to be one) of the kinds of songs I pick over the course of a month of worship services would show a pretty healthy blend of old and new.

But, whenever I’m “pegged” (i.e. “categorized”), I’m usually pegged as the contemporary guy.

This used to bother me.

But I like hymns! But I can play piano! But I use a wider variety of hymns at “my” “contemporary” service than at the “traditional service!” But I like liturgy! It didn’t matter. I was pegged.

Then one day I was talking with a worship leader friend of mine who was classically trained. He could sight read music perfectly. He could conduct choirs. He had written for choirs. He had composed pieces for choirs in Latin. He could play the organ. He could write and arrange songs for an orchestra. He could conduct.

But he could also play with a band, knew how to rock, incorporated drums and electric guitars, and spiced up ancient hymns with new arrangements.

And for that, my classically trained friend was pegged as… you guessed it, the “contemporary guy”.

One day I was lamenting with this classically trained friend how I had been pegged the contemporary guy and I couldn’t seem to shake it. He laughed and told me that, even though he met all the objective requirements of being a classical musician, he was still lumped into the same category as me.

And with that, he told me to relax.

It helped.

It’s a fact: you’re going to be pegged.

Maybe you’re pegged as the “old guy”, “young kid”, “inexperienced girl”, “preacher’s kid”, “pastor’s wife”, “only a volunteer”, “interim”, or “contemporary guy”. You’ve been pegged by a certain group, and you know it, and you can’t do anything about it.

That’s right, you can’t do anything about it. So don’t waste your time/energy/resources trying to un-peg yourself. Just keep on keeping on.

You won’t experience freedom in ministry by trying to prove yourself to certain power blocs. You’ll experience freedom in ministry by falling back on the fact that God has called you and equipped you. Your qualification for ministry doesn’t rest in the hands of a group of people who would define you with a certain tag. Your qualification for ministry rests in God’s calling on you. If the leadership of your church has affirmed this calling, and has given you a platform, then walk in confidence and let the pegs fall where they may.

You’re going to be pegged. You’re probably going to be pegged unfairly. So get used to it, get over it, and get on with being who God has called you to be, in the midst of the congregation he’s called to you serve, with a healthy dose of humility, and a heaping dose of confidence.

The Day I Heard God Laugh

Several years ago I was in the middle of one of those seasons when I was having a hard time believing that God was actually hearing (and caring about) my prayers. I had been crying out to him to answer me in the way that I wanted, in the timeframe I had chosen, with the thing that I thought was best. All I could pick up in return was radio silence. Nothing was happening. Nothing was changing. I was discouraged.

But one day something changed. A very clear answer to my prayers began to materialize, in a way that could only be explained by God’s arrangement of it all, and I felt like a ray of light had suddenly burst through my gloomy sense that God wasn’t at work. That’s when I muttered a half-hearted remark to God. And that’s when I heard him laugh. It wasn’t exactly audible, but it was clear as day.

I was getting off the elevator, and in response to the new developments God had brought about, I said under my breath: “God… I think you’re up to something”.

Ha!

God laughed.

“I’m… up to something?

Ha!”

I realized how ridiculously “understatement-of-the-millenium” my remark was about as soon as I was finished saying it. And God, in his Fatherly and gentle kindness, reminded me in that moment that yes, little child, God was indeed “up to something”.

A verse from the Psalms immediately came to mind in that moment:

In Psalm 2:4 we’re told that God “laughs” at the raging of the nations. His total, complete, sovereign power contrasted with the people’s plotting and raging is utterly laughable.

God is “up to something”, and he’s up to something in more ways, and on more levels, and with so many different rationales than we’ll ever know. We’ll doubt this, and we’ll stop believing it, and we’ll become convinced that we’ve been forgotten. But then God will prove yet again that he’s faithful, and we’ll prove yet again that we’re fickle, and because our fickle hearts have been reborn and made new because of Jesus, God our Father will look on us with eyes full of love and laugh. And smile.

Grateful for Harold Best

Ministry is like a roller coaster. And for me, one of the lowest lows I’ve ever experienced on this roller coaster was a season when I was in the caught in the middle of a “worship war” and didn’t know how to get out. Some fairly vocal people were making noise that the kinds of music I was introducing (i.e. contemporary worship music) at a particular service were worldly, evil, Satanic in origin, and unable to be used for God’s glory. I knew in my heart that they were misguided in their thinking and theology, but I didn’t have the vocabulary with which to respond to them.

That’s when Harold Best’s book Music Through the Eyes of Faith came long. It rocked my world. It helped me see music in its proper biblical context, to embrace it as a gift from God, to see my pastoral duty to carefully steward this gift to serve the church in my context, and to appreciate the different kinds of beauty across a wide spectrum of musical expressions. Bob Kauflin always told worship leaders to read this book, and once I finally did, I knew why.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend the excellent Doxology and Theology conference in Louisville. One of the reasons I wanted to go was because Harold Best was going to be there, and I hoped I’d have the opportunity to meet him.

That opportunity came when I saw Harold sitting in a pew all by himself. I introduced myself and asked if he had a few minutes. He was incredibly kind (and even knew who I was which I think is ridiculous) and I was able to tell him, face-to-face, how his book changed my life. Later that night, and even the following day, I was able to spend more time with Harold and hear his wisdom, counsel, and excellent critiques.

This picture is of me with Harold at about midnight in the kitchen in Bob and Julie Kauflin’s home. Having the privilege of spending time with those two men, both of them heroes of mine, is one that I will always remember and cherish. I was almost unable to attend the conference, but thanks to a friend’s generous gift of Delta SkyMiles, I was able to go at the last minute. God provided, if for no other reason, than so I could have the chance to say “thank you” to Harold Best.

Buy his book.

And here’s a whole bunch of quotes from it, in case you’re interested:

Chapter 1: God’s Creation, Human Creativity, and Music Making
“God is directly and continually engaged with his handiwork. Natural laws continue to work because Christ is now saying so; the galaxies continue to speed away from each other because Christ is now saying so; we continue to live, move, and have our being because Christ is now saying so.”
God’s Names and Creatorhood, and Human Creativity, pg. 13

“Had God not made the creation, God would still be the Creator, self-caused, entirely complete. In a way that eludes us, the triune God can be eternally at work within himself, disclosing the fullness of himself to himself and infinitely rich within those disclosures. What does this mean to our creativity and music making? Above all, it means that we should not make music in order to prove that we are or to authenticate ourselves. God created in us the capability for understanding that we are authenticated in him, not in what we do.”
God’s Names and Creatorhood, and Human Creativity, pg. 14

“As glorious as the creation is, it was merely created and not begotten. A strawberry, a galaxy, a dolphin, and a sea lion are not in the image of God. They are handiwork, pure and simple, thus of an entirely different order.

The next point is crucial. Having made the creation and having created us in his image, God has given us particular assignment that could not have been given to any other created beings. In telling Adam and Eve to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground (Genesis 1:28), God was setting down a basic principle. Man and woman, created in the image of God… are neither the same as the rest of creation nor subject to it. While materially they can be outweighed by a mountain or overpowered by the force of the ocean, and while they are incapable of changing the speed of light, they cannot be morally, spiritually, or behaviorally overcome by anything in the creation around them.”
The Creator Is Not the Creation and the Music Maker Is Not the Music, pg. 16

“Let’s concentrate on something that almost never comes to mind: the music that Jesus heard and made throughout his life – the music of the wedding feast, the dance, the street, and the synagogue. As it turns out, Jesus was not a composer but a carpenter. Thus he heard and used the music made by other, fallen creatures – the very ones he came to redeem. The ramifications of this single fact are enormous. They assist in answering the questions as to whether music used by Christians can only be written by Christians and whether music written by non-Christians is somehow non-Christian. But for now, it is important to understand that even though we don’t know whether every piece of music Jesus used was written by people of faith, we can be sure that it was written by imperfect people, bound by the conditions of a fallen world and hampered by sinfulness and limitation. So even though we do not know what musical perfection is, we do know that the perfect one could sing imperfect music created by fallen and imperfect people, while doing so completely to the glory of his heavenly Father.”
The Fall, Creativity, and Music Making, pgs. 18 and 19

“The creation, at first glance, appears to be full of anomalies. Because there are lobsters and hummingbirds, deserts and rain forests, turtles and people, we might be tempted to believe that a mixture of creative opinions has been at work, as assortment of deities, if you will, who have either compromised with each other or concluded their business in outright disagreement. How could the same Someone think up a hippopotamus and then turn around and imagine an orchid? Is God inconsistent? Does God have any taste? Or is he a Creator whose sense of rightness and beauty are so complete that we will have a more comprehensive way of integrating all of the supposed anomalies and contradictions in human creativity? Is there a way for us to see if or how the music or Eric Clapton or Beethoven can fin a place among the musics of Japanese kabuki, the Balinese gamelan, the songs of Stephen Foster, an anonymous dreamer of songs in Africa, J.S. Bach, and Blind Lemon Jefferson? We need to find ways to validate artistic pluralism without becoming so sloppy as to allow anything.”
God’s Creation, Stylistic Pluralism, and Music Making, pg. 24

“…We may have no more aesthetic right to say that a sunset is more beautiful than an artichoke than we do to say that classical music is more beautiful than jazz or Gothic preferable to Bauhaus. Perhaps we need to compare Gothic with Gothic, jazz with jazz, folk with folk, and so on, before we get involved in trying to decide among them.”
God’s Creation, Stylistic Pluralism, and Music Making , pg. 25

“If the same God can think up a cucumber and a falcon, the same potter can make a vase and a free-form object, the same poet can make a simple couplet or an extended drama, and the same composer a Scripture song or a symphony.”
God’s Creation, Stylistic Pluralism, and Music Making, pg. 26

“A galaxy and a blade of grass may differ, but only in the expanse of quality. This should give us no excuse for overlooking the wonder in a blade of grass. The galaxy and the grass are put together in the same way: elemental particles are chained together, in the one case to make something small and, in the other, to make something exceedingly vast. It is the elemental parts, the “simple particles,” that, yet to be explained, remain the greater mystery. We can make the same mistake with simplicity and complexity that we do with worth and function when we see one as better than the other. What is simplicity in human creativity? Complexity? If complexity means more and simplicity less, then the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is complex and Braham’s “Lullaby” is simple. If complex means complicated and simplicity clear, then Karl Barth’s writing is complex and C.S. Lewis simple. And if the cathedral of Notre Dame is complex, the great pyramids of Egypt are simple. Which of these is better? More profound? … Which is more profound, the brevity of the Golden Rule, or the cumulative rhetoric of the book of Romans?”
God’s Creation, Simplicity, Complexity, and Music Making, pages 30 and 31

“When Jesus Christ became flesh, he became a part of the creation in exactly the same way that every human being has. That is, even though he was fully God, he came fully human… In a way, God was simplified. And as with so many simplicities, this deepens the mystery. While this emptying means everything to our redemption, it applies to our artistic and musical creativity with nearly equal force. An analogy may help. Let’s say that before Christ became human, he could be likened to a symphony, in all its complexity and power – magnificence carried out over a grand expanse. But when he became human, he became a folk tune, simple and shortened… His becoming a folk tone was not a compromise, a dilution, a put-down, or a thinning out… Becoming a folk tune was a uniqueness in itself, with its own wholeness, integrity, and usefulness. Putting it this way prevents us from saying that a folk tune is a thinned-out or reduced symphony. Rather, it is an emptied symphony, completely possessed of its own wholeness, integrity, and uniqueness… Each musician must come to experience the dignity, rightness, and eventual joy of putting things aside, of emptying oneself and taking the form of a servant. Such musicians must be able to move back and forth, gracefully, servingly, and willingly, from the symphony to the folk tune, back and forth without complaint, compromise, or snobbery, without the conceit that doing an oratorio is somehow more worthy or more deserving than doing a hymn tune. All servant musicians must be able to be in creative transit, serving this community and challenging that one, all the while showing grace, power, elegance, and imagination.”
The Incarnation, Human Creativity, and Music Making, pages 32 and 33

“Which is the greater mystery, that Christ is God or that he could empty himself while remaining God? Likewise, which is greatest mystery, that we are artistically creative or that we can remain just as fully creative while emptying ourselves?”
The Incarnation, Human Creativity, and Music Making, pg. 34

I’m grateful for Harold Best, and I’m grateful for the Doxology and Theology conference making it possible for his voice to be heard by a new generation of worship leaders.

The Sky Is Falling! OK, Maybe Not

I’m afraid I might have started something…

Back in May I posted some reflections on the current state of evangelical worship. You may have read it.

It had a picture of a worship band on stage. It had a dramatic title. I shared my observations and concerns. And it went everywhere.

Here’s how I intended it: as a loving word of caution from the inside the movement. Here’s how some people received it: “the sky is falling!”

I’ve been a card-carrying member of the “integrating contemporary music into traditional contexts” scene since I was thrown in front of a small Episcopal congregation at the age of 13. I’ve been labeled “the contemporary guy” (even though I love hymns and classical music) or “the guitar player” (even though I can also play piano) for as long as I can remember. I kept a file at my previous church of the angry emails and letters I received (especially in the early years) of the pointed/personal criticism that got directed towards me because I was pushing the envelope.

But I’ve seen how, over time, peace can appear, defenses can be dropped, genres and copyright dates can become less important, and instrumentation can become less of an altar on which to die. Consistently exalting Jesus, week-to-week, month-to-month, year-to-year, has a way of putting music in its proper place, thus cooling down the heated conversations.

So it was with that heart that I offered some concerns, observations, and questions for those of us in the “contemporary” scene. From the inside, from a guy who has some battle scars from the war, and from someone who’s experienced the labels and been guilty of the labeling at times too.

Some people got what I was saying.

But all that some people could see was the picture of the worship band on stage. And the dramatic title. And they surmised that I was throwing rocks at the “contemporary” scene, that I was writing the post from behind my personal harpsichord while practicing sweater knitting, and that the subtitle of my post should have been “let’s go back to Gregorian chant”.

That wasn’t what I was saying.

So now I look with interest and some concern on a shift (that I perceive) in some corners of the worship blogosphere which errs too much towards the “this is good, and this is bad, and what is bad is really bad” line of thinking. I know these kinds of things have been swirling around since long before I ever added my voice to the mix, but in the event that my post has contributed to any sort of free-for-all of criticism, I apologize.

I see the pictures of the worship bands, the dramatic titles, and I think “oh no, not another one”.

I see the traditional camps sharing the articles saying “Ah ha! I told you so!” and I think “that’s tragic”.

I see the contemporary camps fighting the articles saying “This is nonsense!” and I tend to agree.

I don’t regret offering my concerns like I did several months ago. If I had to do it over again I’d probably say the same things. And I think it’s good to have tough conversations, ask deep questions, and say difficult things. Loving words of caution can be lifesavers.

But what’s not good is a new crop of content that runs the risk of perpetuating division and instigating the wrong kinds of conversations. Some things should be talked about with a mentor or a brother, not posted online for the whole world to see. Some instincts we have should not be delineated into firm principles for others to live by.

The goal should be building-up, not tearing-down. The goal should pushing one another on to exalting Jesus better, more clearly, and more consistently. Focusing on the means ad nauseam will make us into dogs chasing our tail. Focusing on the ends of seeing and savoring Jesus more clearly will help us all grow.

So here’s to progress in our conversations, charity towards one another, an embrace of a variety of expressions, and a Christ-centeredness in our worship regardless of the context.

Glory Be to God

I’m always on the lookout for good, congregational, theologically rich worship songs. It can be a challenge sometimes to fill this spot in my church’s repertoire. Last year I set out to write one, and got some ideas when I was reminded of the “Te Deum”, an ancient Christian prayer/hymn.

As an Anglican, I was aware of the Te Deum being in our Book of Common Prayer, but as is the danger with most liturgical elements, I had gotten used to it.

But check this thing out:

We praise thee, O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.
All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting.
To thee all Angels cry aloud,
the Heavens and all the Powers therein.
To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth;
Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory.
The glorious company of the apostles praise thee.
The goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee.
The noble army of martyrs praise thee.
The holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee,
the Father, of an infinite majesty, thine adorable, true, and only Son,
also the Holy Ghost the Comforter.
Thou art the King of glory, O Christ.
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man,
thou didst humble thyself to be born of a Virgin.
When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge.
We therefore pray thee, help thy servants,
whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy saints,
in glory everlasting.

This inspired me to write a song that was (a) upbeat, and (b) full of this rich theology, imagery, and wording. I’m giving that song, “Glory Be to God” away for free.

The lyrics are:

All the white-robed martyrs, all the saints of God
All the powers of heaven join in endless praise
All the blood-bought children, all the ransomed ones
All the sons and daughters rise to bless Your name

Singing hallelujah! Glory to God! Singing hallelujah! Glory be to God

To the Father Almighty, to the Beautiful Son
To the Spirit of Power; the perfect Three in One
All creation proclaims You, all the angels join in
All the church acclaims You, forever without end

Ransomed, restored, forgiven, singing the song of heaven
We who were dead are risen up to life, up with Christ

Jamie Brown. © 2013 Worthily Magnify Music. All rights reserved.

Here’s the lyric video: