Worship Wars

I don't think anyone would describe me as a touchy-feely kind of guy. Before Kim and I got married we took a bunch of personality tests and one dealt with how we viewed each other. Kim's results said she viewed me as a "cold fish." (How's that for a lot of confidence going into a marriage.) I'm just not wired that way.

There are things that move me though. The big two are dramatic endings and music. These are things that cause me to notice that growing lump in my throat, the quivering lip, and even tears. They take me beyond where I am and give me hope for the future. They make me realize that those little annoyances are really no big deal.

Dramatic ending can be in the form of the conclusion to a sporting event, the end of a movie, or finally holding my child after spending the last twenty minutes at my wife's side while she had a c-section. Whether the result is elation or heartbreak the dramatic ending moves me.

Music does too and that's what brings me to worship. At this point in time I'm tired of the worship wars. What is worship? What is not worship? I read people criticizing the focus on communal worship that usually takes place on Sunday mornings for most of us. I read people criticizing the theological content of the lyrics. Some criticize how worship is lead in churches. Or should I say prompted? My brother wrote a piece about worship that focuses on God's transcendence versus His immanence. I'm still not exactly sure what he was talking about.

In the end I want to be moved when I worship. That's when I feel like I am truly worshiping the Lord of Lords. I'm not theologically explaining my love for Him, I'm simply sharing my heart with Him. I really don't care what the specific elements of the music are teaching me or anyone else who is present. I want it to be about what I can give rather than what I can receive.

I know there is a time and a place for discussing and debating worship. But right now I'm tired of it. Right now I just want to say "thanks for the joy you've given me, I want You to know I believe in Your song, rhythm and rhyme and harmony, has helped me along, making me strong, so give me the beat, and free my soul.

Leaving It Late

Well, it is November 24th, 35 degrees, and I just finished mowing the lawn. It was COOOOOOLLLLLDDDD out there. This is one of the latest lawn mowing dates for me in a long, long time and I hope I don't have to do that again for awhile.

I mowed a few weeks ago thinking that was the last time for the year. Then I watched as the grass became uncomfortably long due some mild weather. For about a week I kept debating whether I needed to mow again or not. It wasn't too long but I kept thinking about how much better it would look if I mowed. The yard had also caught quite a few leaves which is always a little frustrating since I don't have any trees. Then we got quite a bit of rain so it looked like I was going to have to let it go.

Today I looked out not very satisfied with the way it looked. It has been dry for the last few days so I decided to go for it. I even bagged the clippings and now I have a very satisfied feeling as I look out at my lawn. Not only that but the short grass doesn't catch leaves as easily so most of them just blow on by.

My dad used to like to paint because he could see the results of his labor. That isn't something that is always case for a pastor. I hate to paint but I think I understand what he was talking about as I look at the lawn.

A Movie That Matters

Kim and I went and saw the movie Bella the other night. I complained about it being a chick-flick just in case I hated it. I didn't. I thought it was great.

Kim cried through practically the whole thing. My story is that I never cried and I'm sticking to it. It's a movie that is easy to get wrapped up in and that makes it tug on the emotions.

I thought they did a great job dealing with some painful topics. I even ended up with a sense of understanding for a character that I didn't really like too much. Kim and I left debating the meaning of a few scenes where the viewer isn't sure what really happened or that were intentionally misleading. I suppose that's what the writers wanted. I think Kim had better instincts about those scenes.

In the end I left the theater wanting to live life no matter how painful it could get. It also made me painfully aware of how little I know about the stories of the people around me.

Self-Made Man

I read a story about Tom White in the Boston Globe. White has been a very successful business man but his distinguishing feature is that he has given nearly all his wealth away. The article tells about a building being named after him in Haiti and how he really didn't care for that. He associated it with all those stories we read about self-made men who have accomplished great things on their own.

White doesn't think there is such a thing as a self-made man. Everyone has been helped along the way so a man's rewards are never his alone. In a sense, when he gives his money away it actually represents a lot of people who have helped along the way so a building named for just one man doesn't seem appropriate.

It was refreshing to read that because we seem to hold the idea of a self-made man in high regard. If we really believe in it we could be in danger of not getting anywhere because we refuse the help of others. I think it is only when we realize that we need others that we begin to reach our potential.

I also think the same is true in a spiritual sense. We need each other if we are going to grow spiritually and refusing to acknowledge that stunts our growth. We also tend to look up the chain-of-command for help and often overlook real value right under our noses. I need to be just as open to God working through the kids in the pre-school Sunday School class as I am those spiritual giants in my life.

Daddy's Little Girl

About an hour ago the Space Shuttle Discovery was hurtling across the Pacific at break neck speed heading for the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. I spent my lunch time tracking the flight as it raced on across the US and descended towards the runway on the NASA Channel. You couldn't see anything when they switched to the shot of the sky but slowly the shuttle came into view.

Shortly after it came into view Commander Pam Melroy took control of the shuttle to maneuver it for landing. At this point in the flight the shuttle is basically a very heavy glider so she had only one shot to get it right. I watched as she maneuvered the massive shuttle around the "heading alignment circle" to line up the shuttle on runway 33. They say the shuttle lands ten times as fast and has a descent angle seven times as steep as a commercial airliner. (Maybe those numbers are reversed. I'm not sure.) Commander Melroy performed flawlessly and nailed the landing with the main gear touching down at 1:01:18.

I joked with Kim that they were probably supposed to touch down at 1:00 P.M. so she was actually a little over a minute late. Kim didn't think that was too bad for a flight that lasted 15 days. I also noticed they have to wait a long time to deplane, just like the airlines.

The whole time I was watching this I was wondering what Commander Melroy's dad must be thinking. I imagine he must be nervous and proud. I know it might be sexist but as a father of three sons and one daughter I worry a little more about my daughter. I'm a little more protective of her and I wondered what it would be like if she was ever commanding something like a space shuttle.

I wonder if there comes a point when you quit worrying because they've proven they can handle themselves just fine on their own. This was Commander Melroy's third time piloting a shuttle and I suppose one would think that if you can do that you can probably handle just about anything. But I just can't help but think that there is a dad somewhere that still thinks of Commander Melroy as daddy's little girl.

My Pleasure

Looking for a game to play next time you go out? Go order a meal at Chick-fil-a and see how many times you can get the staff to say "my pleasure." They have a policy (at least the franchise closest to us does) that staff respond that way any time a customer says thank you. So ask a lot of questions, say thank you a lot, and see what kind of total you can rack up.

The atmosphere created by their courtesy is great. Kim and I enjoy just sitting there counting how many times they say it. (Our dates are really boring.) I have to believe they develop a habit that stays with them when they leave work. Their families probably get tired of it.

The strange thing about it is you tend to relax in that kind of environment. I wonder how much rudeness contributes to our stress. I think when we are in an hostile environment we tend to spend a lot of energy being on guard. Our world could use a lot more politeness,

Resting In Him

We practice Lectio Divina on Wednesday evenings and the last two weeks have been emotionally hard for me. Both times it ended well though.

This week I was meditating on the passage where Jesus is explaining why he uses parables in Matthew 13. He refers to the prophet Isaiah: 'You will listen carefully yet will never understand,you will look closely yet will never comprehend. For the heart of this people has become dull; they are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes, so that they would not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.' I was struck by the fear that this could easily be me. I may think I'm listening carefully and yet not understand. Could my eyes be closed without me knowing it?

This consumed my prayer time which I ended with the fervent hope that this was not me or at least I would be made aware of it if it was. I can't say that there was any real sense of peace after the prayer though perhaps things were a bit brighter.

Then came my favorite part which is resting in Him. I don't usually read the instructions for the other steps outlined in the program because they are the same every week. But I always read the last. It starts, "Finally we rest in the presence of the One who has used His word as a means of inviting us to accept His transforming embrace." It literally sent chills down my spine and it was almost as if I could feel His embrace. Somehow that seemed to soothe the fears and doubts I had earlier.