Many years ago, I quit going to a large church that began to put such a strong emphasis on worship, that it was very nearly all they did.
It wasn't as though that was my sole reason that I quit attending. I was in college at the time and exploring a myriad of churches in different denominations. I got married and--as husband & wife--we settled on a smaller church elsewhere.
We went back and attended that big church a few more times sporadically... but it really got solidified in my mind that we weren't meant to be there when the church began putting their primary emphasis on worship through music.
Their worship pastor had a brush with death when he very nearly committed suicide. I can't say for sure whether there was any connection between their "off" focus and the worship pastor coming close to suicide--it isn't uncommon for pastors wrestle with depression--but I do know that that church was confusing mission and worship.
They were drawing throngs of new people to their church, to say the least. All with the idea that we were placed on this Earth to worship.
Let me pause to clarify terms, here. Worship is expressing adoration to God. The word often gets muddled in modern Christianese to mean music and songs. What God laid out for us by the example and writings of early Christians is that we worship God in our hearts and by the lives we live, not just when we sing to Him.
Now, I do think singing and making joyful music unto the Lord are essential to the Christian life. What this large church was doing put so much focus on drawing crowds into a rock-concert-like Sunday service ...that they forgot what Christ commissioned us to do: make disciples. Our mission as believers is to share the Gospel with the world and continually help each other to become more Christlike in our daily lives.
In recent years, Facebook notifies me when someone in a group I'm in is looking for a recommendation for a church.
Nine times out of ten, they are asking for a church with "great worship" (read "uplifting music").
No one ever asks for help finding a church "that will really challenge me" or a church that is "reaching out to the community". I suspect it is because those things require a work mindset and not just a participant mindset.
I like great, uplifting music from a finely-tuned praise band along with gorgeous singing, lights, and a fog machine just as much as the next millennial. Don't get me wrong here. I'm not necessarily saying we should just get rid of that. What I am saying, is we should challenge weak or lukewarm Christianity that seeks only to be served rather than to serve.
P.S. I do also appreciate good old fashioned voices and acoustic instruments ;)
~
What do you think are the reasons modern Christians are always looking for a church with great worship?
In what ways do you think spending a lot of resources on music could be distracting us from learning essential tenets of our faith?
Does your church have community small groups, discipleship teams, or Sunday school classes that have challenged you to delve deeper into changing your heart? Are people radically changing their lives to look more like Christ?
Pray with me: I pray for that specific church which I haven't revisited in years has been focused on Jesus' great commission. You created us, and we were placed on this Earth to worship...making disciples and self-sacrificing love is our act of worship. I pray for authentic Christianity in the hearts of our new believers as well as those who've sought to walk with you for years. Refine us.
Amen
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Monday, February 20, 2017
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Purpose of Parenting
I'll preface this with I'm still never sure whether I'm qualified to offer parenting advice, but I guess for some people it's helpful. Christian parents will probably get what I'm trying to say here.
Or maybe--for some of you--this will be a "light bulb moment." I look forward to your comments.
My oldest son is about to turn seven. As I've been reflecting back on the past year, I realized he's matured a lot with trying to control his emotions. He doesn't always automatically jump into tantrum mode over that unfair thing his sister did to him. Often, I can visibly see him seek to control his body or anger when he's upset. That's quite difficult feat for most of us. Though, he's certainly still a typical first-grader.
While all of this maturing is going on, he's also seeking new responsibility and deeper levels of control over his life. He has always been a relatively "go-with-the-flow" kid, but I now see he wants to make more of his own choices about where to go and when, what to watch on television, and who to spend time with.
But, isn't that how all of us are from the time we're born until well into adulthood (or old age)? We're continually learning to do a better job of controlling our feelings...or at least we get a grip on what we do with our feelings. At the same time, we are seeking to have choices about what happens in our own lives for our own happiness, self-satisfaction, or whatever. You could go to California or New York or Indonesia, and it will always be true. That's our natural state-of-being.
As the years go by, though, at some point or another we've realized that our God has our better interest in mind much more than we could ever understand on our own.
Slowly, this shift begins to happen where we acknowledge that, "Hey, maybe making my choices on my own isn't always so simple or so great. And the consequences don't always work out the way I'd like them to. Maybe relying on God is the more favorable way to go here."
The tipping point comes when we realize we've got to rely on God for *everything* to sustain us. We can't blame anyone for how our lives are screwed up. We can't keep longing for fancy stuff that we want and may never have. Satisfaction and true joy come only from reliance on Christ. Even when truly terrible things happen to us, we can still have joy in Him.
Back to parenting.
So, when we're raising our kids we worry about them a lot, right? We worry whether they'll be able navigate the world without us. We worry whether they'll be able to make the right choices without us.
(By the way, all this worrying stuff doesn't make a lick of sense, so just stop it!)
What are we supposed to do?
We try to teach them about playing nice, following the rules, being respectful, and good hygiene. To what end? Does telling them all that stuff--or even modeling it for them--make them a productive member of society? Does it give them happiness? Does it give them real, true, deep-down-where-it-counts kind of joy?
We might even try to teach them to pray and read their Bibles. Good job, if you're doing that, since that's where the real answers are! But a lot of them will fall away. They'll fall away from the church or from God altogether...
if...
If...
IF...
If they're not grounded in relying on Christ for everything to sustain them.
So, parenting is not about teaching our kids to read and eat their vegetables and saying NO to drugs. It's not about pandering to their every whim or teaching them to suck it up so they can be independent from Mommy and Daddy. Parenting isn't even about teaching our kids to love one another (though, I think that one is of the utmost importance).
Parenting is about the shift...the shift from being dependent on Mom or Dad to being totally dependent on God. It is moving the child from relying on us to relying on Christ.
None of us will ever be able to get to a point where we have total control over our actions, our emotions, or making wise choices. Not in this life on this Earth.
But God
But God has us. He's got our backs, Parents.
He's got our kids' backs. He loves 'em way more than we do. Infinitely more than we ever could.
Our kids are going to make tons of crazy mistakes (just like we do, ahem). They'll follow the whims of their fleeting emotions without realizing the consequences of their actions. They will have days when they get into big BIG trouble.
But. If we have modeled for them that we are totally, utterly, unashamedly, dependent upon our Creator for our very breath
they'll come to Him.
They'll remember the times you were having the worst days and you cried out aloud to God to come rescue you. They'll remember that you didn't always act like you were the final authority on every. single. thing. I hope my kids remember that I even ask for forgiveness. A lot.
Yes, we should continue to parent in a manner that warrants our children's respect. I'm not saying you ought to look like a weakling, but in the grand scheme of the Universe we acknowledge that we are all so frail.
I hope my soon-to-be-seven-year-old will learn to love the Lord our God with everything that's in him. I hope he'll learn to love others and be passionate about relationships with other human beings. I certainly hope he'll learn how to eat right, use his manners, and run a household all by himself. I even hope he'll have a satisfying career in some field that I probably can't even dream up yet. But--above all else--I have to constantly remind myself that life is fleeting
none of this stuff matters
in the light of the One True Eternal Thing.
So, take heart, weary parents. God entrusted you with caring for these young ones, but he also trusts you. God trusts you. I'll let that sink in for a minute.
Let the little ones rely on you for now.
Just do your best to love them,
be real with them,
and model for the kids how you rely on God.
(Hopefully you're not worrying about it. I told you to knock that worrying stuff off! There's nothing you could do that could screw them up so bad that God can't redeem it, right?)
I will leave you with this song about being the example you need to be.
"...Let them see You in me let them hear You when I speak
Let them feel You when I sing
Let them see You, let them see You in me
Who am I with out Your grace, another smile another face
Another breath a grain of sand passing quickly through Your hand
I give my life an offering take it all take everything..."
- Let Them See You by JJ Weeks Band
Or maybe--for some of you--this will be a "light bulb moment." I look forward to your comments.
My oldest son is about to turn seven. As I've been reflecting back on the past year, I realized he's matured a lot with trying to control his emotions. He doesn't always automatically jump into tantrum mode over that unfair thing his sister did to him. Often, I can visibly see him seek to control his body or anger when he's upset. That's quite difficult feat for most of us. Though, he's certainly still a typical first-grader.
While all of this maturing is going on, he's also seeking new responsibility and deeper levels of control over his life. He has always been a relatively "go-with-the-flow" kid, but I now see he wants to make more of his own choices about where to go and when, what to watch on television, and who to spend time with.But, isn't that how all of us are from the time we're born until well into adulthood (or old age)? We're continually learning to do a better job of controlling our feelings...or at least we get a grip on what we do with our feelings. At the same time, we are seeking to have choices about what happens in our own lives for our own happiness, self-satisfaction, or whatever. You could go to California or New York or Indonesia, and it will always be true. That's our natural state-of-being.
As the years go by, though, at some point or another we've realized that our God has our better interest in mind much more than we could ever understand on our own.
Slowly, this shift begins to happen where we acknowledge that, "Hey, maybe making my choices on my own isn't always so simple or so great. And the consequences don't always work out the way I'd like them to. Maybe relying on God is the more favorable way to go here."
The tipping point comes when we realize we've got to rely on God for *everything* to sustain us. We can't blame anyone for how our lives are screwed up. We can't keep longing for fancy stuff that we want and may never have. Satisfaction and true joy come only from reliance on Christ. Even when truly terrible things happen to us, we can still have joy in Him.
Back to parenting.
So, when we're raising our kids we worry about them a lot, right? We worry whether they'll be able navigate the world without us. We worry whether they'll be able to make the right choices without us.
(By the way, all this worrying stuff doesn't make a lick of sense, so just stop it!)
What are we supposed to do?
We try to teach them about playing nice, following the rules, being respectful, and good hygiene. To what end? Does telling them all that stuff--or even modeling it for them--make them a productive member of society? Does it give them happiness? Does it give them real, true, deep-down-where-it-counts kind of joy?
We might even try to teach them to pray and read their Bibles. Good job, if you're doing that, since that's where the real answers are! But a lot of them will fall away. They'll fall away from the church or from God altogether...
if...
If...
IF...
If they're not grounded in relying on Christ for everything to sustain them.
So, parenting is not about teaching our kids to read and eat their vegetables and saying NO to drugs. It's not about pandering to their every whim or teaching them to suck it up so they can be independent from Mommy and Daddy. Parenting isn't even about teaching our kids to love one another (though, I think that one is of the utmost importance).
Parenting is about the shift...the shift from being dependent on Mom or Dad to being totally dependent on God. It is moving the child from relying on us to relying on Christ.
None of us will ever be able to get to a point where we have total control over our actions, our emotions, or making wise choices. Not in this life on this Earth.
But God
But God has us. He's got our backs, Parents.
He's got our kids' backs. He loves 'em way more than we do. Infinitely more than we ever could.
Our kids are going to make tons of crazy mistakes (just like we do, ahem). They'll follow the whims of their fleeting emotions without realizing the consequences of their actions. They will have days when they get into big BIG trouble.
But. If we have modeled for them that we are totally, utterly, unashamedly, dependent upon our Creator for our very breath
they'll come to Him.
They'll remember the times you were having the worst days and you cried out aloud to God to come rescue you. They'll remember that you didn't always act like you were the final authority on every. single. thing. I hope my kids remember that I even ask for forgiveness. A lot.
Yes, we should continue to parent in a manner that warrants our children's respect. I'm not saying you ought to look like a weakling, but in the grand scheme of the Universe we acknowledge that we are all so frail.
I hope my soon-to-be-seven-year-old will learn to love the Lord our God with everything that's in him. I hope he'll learn to love others and be passionate about relationships with other human beings. I certainly hope he'll learn how to eat right, use his manners, and run a household all by himself. I even hope he'll have a satisfying career in some field that I probably can't even dream up yet. But--above all else--I have to constantly remind myself that life is fleeting
none of this stuff matters
in the light of the One True Eternal Thing.
So, take heart, weary parents. God entrusted you with caring for these young ones, but he also trusts you. God trusts you. I'll let that sink in for a minute.
Let the little ones rely on you for now.
Just do your best to love them,
be real with them,
and model for the kids how you rely on God.
(Hopefully you're not worrying about it. I told you to knock that worrying stuff off! There's nothing you could do that could screw them up so bad that God can't redeem it, right?)
I will leave you with this song about being the example you need to be.
"...Let them see You in me let them hear You when I speak
Let them feel You when I sing
Let them see You, let them see You in me
Who am I with out Your grace, another smile another face
Another breath a grain of sand passing quickly through Your hand
I give my life an offering take it all take everything..."
- Let Them See You by JJ Weeks Band
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Words of Encouragement for Labor
I found some more song lyrics that got me really excited about having them read to me while I am in labor. This song is about being astounded by the fact that I am one of God's creations and his Grace. I printed the lyrics off, and we'll see if I find it soothing at all (or who knows? I may find it annoying, but worth a shot).
“Spirit
Speaks” by Know Hope Collective
Your
Spirit speaks
It moves in me
And I’m awakened to Your love
You’re drawing me
On to my knees
And I’m astounded by Your love
You spoke life into my lungs
You are the air I breathe
You are the air I breathe
Still You move inside of me
You are the song I sing
You are the song I sing Jesus
You cover me
With arms that reach
And I’m amazed by Your sweet grace
You set me free
And You washed me clean
And I’m forgiven by Your grace
With every breath I breathe
With every song I sing
I want to shout it out
Lord I am listening
To every word You speak
I’ll go where You will lead
To love the least of these
My greatest offering
It moves in me
And I’m awakened to Your love
You’re drawing me
On to my knees
And I’m astounded by Your love
You spoke life into my lungs
You are the air I breathe
You are the air I breathe
Still You move inside of me
You are the song I sing
You are the song I sing Jesus
You cover me
With arms that reach
And I’m amazed by Your sweet grace
You set me free
And You washed me clean
And I’m forgiven by Your grace
With every breath I breathe
With every song I sing
I want to shout it out
Lord I am listening
To every word You speak
I’ll go where You will lead
To love the least of these
My greatest offering
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thoughts on My Marriage: Part 3
At the risk of sounding pompous, I believe my relationship with Ivan is special.
There is something about the dynamic between us--our attitude towards our marriage--that I feel is lacking in most marriages today. It is something I cannot quite wrap my words around.
It transcends sex
and financial security
and family
and playing house
and being best friends
and love
and having babies
and societal obligations
and moral obligations
and all the good stuff
(and the messy stuff) we associate with marriage.
There is something about our covenant between Me and Ivan and God that transcends all that stuff and I don't quite know how to describe it. I know that some of you out there will know exactly what I mean. Can anyone help me out on this?
It is not to say that other people take marriage too lightly; most people don't. There is just something extra there that I am not quite convinced I have seen in a lot of the relationships around me. And it makes that relationship the most important thing I have on this earth.
There is something about the dynamic between us--our attitude towards our marriage--that I feel is lacking in most marriages today. It is something I cannot quite wrap my words around.
It transcends sex
and financial security
and family
and playing house
and being best friends
and love
and having babies
and societal obligations
and moral obligations
and all the good stuff
(and the messy stuff) we associate with marriage.
There is something about our covenant between Me and Ivan and God that transcends all that stuff and I don't quite know how to describe it. I know that some of you out there will know exactly what I mean. Can anyone help me out on this?
It is not to say that other people take marriage too lightly; most people don't. There is just something extra there that I am not quite convinced I have seen in a lot of the relationships around me. And it makes that relationship the most important thing I have on this earth.
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