when my daughter aliyah was 2 years old, there were times she would wait at the front door for me to come home. When she saw me walking up to the door at the end of the day, she would jump and scream and burst with joy that her daddy had come home. I loved this. I cannot tell you how much joy this little demonstration of emotion gave me as a father. I looked forward to it each day. It is good to know that someone loves you, but to see it expressed without reservation is breathtaking.
as i reflect a little bit more on this experience, the action of my daughter jumping & screaming upon my return is not completely what gives me joy, but i think it is what the action signifies that gives me joy. It shows me that when I am apart from aliyah, she misses me and when we are reunited, she is overwhelmed with emotion that she can't contain herself. I see this as testament to the relationship we have developed (or maybe she was just tired of being around mommy all day).
I wonder if our relationship with God is (or should be) similar. If our worship of God is an expression of our relationship with God, then I would argue that by the looks of things in most churches....(now this may sound harsh)...that we don't really like God all that much.
I am reminded of Anne of Green Gables (yes...i admit that I have read, and even enjoyed the stories of young Anne Shirley, who I feel we may have a lot to learn from). Anne is an orphan who has recently been brought into a new home where she is instructed that she must pray before bedtime and that the 'correct' way to pray is to kneel quietly. this is her response:
"Why must people kneel down to pray?" If I really wanted to pray I'll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or into the deep, deep, woods, and I'd look up into the sky--up--up--up--into that lovely blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just FEEL a prayer. Well, I'm ready. What am I to say?"
Anne, I feel, is looking at the purpose of prayer, not the method, and for her - she seems to be closest to God in nature, and not necessarily in a building. I am not saying that kneeling is bad. in fact - i don't think we humble ourselves enough in the presence of God, but what I think I'm trying to say is that we seem to isolate either the method or the emotion and are out of balance in one or the other. Some of us have lost the emotional part from of our relationship with (worship of) God and all that is left are the methods whose meanings have been lost or forgotten or we focus so much on the theology of God that we forget we that we are in relationship with God. Then others of us have slowly lost much of the tradition and history that enriches our faith and our worship. we need balance.
So what happens in a relationship when something is out of balance? It seems that in our society, when speaking of marriage, people usually get a divorce. And that is really sad. No matter how good the emotions feel, or how great one aspect is, if all we count on is that one element of the relationship, then it will eventually crumble. We must build our relationships holistically. but how? with what?
I would suggest spending time developing trust, respect, intimacy, joy, laughter, security, hope, and a ton of other things to make a healthy relationship. If this is so in a marriage, why would this not be so with our relationship with God. Of course, saying it and doing it are 2 completely different things. I know in my head what I need to do to express love to my wife & daughter. I know what I should do to develop my relationship with God. But doing it is hard. In fact, sometimes it is a pain. but, I am always glad when I have put in the extra effort.
I think all relationships come down to something I heard in a sermon once:
The best use of life is love
The best expression of love is time
The best time to love is now
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
worship as instinct
A friend once asked me about my theology of worship. I was a little taken aback as I had never really consciously thought about it in that way. I thought only pastors, deep thinkers and theologians have a theology of something. Anyway - as I tried to answer, to describe my thoughts on worship, I found myself with a flood of ideas and passion about what worship is intended to be, but also with frustration and bitterness with how worship has come to be defined. So here begin some of my thoughts on this thing we call worship (although i still wouldn't call it a theology).
instinct
All creatures have instinct. I really don't quite understand it, but somehow all living things have them. Wikipedia defines instinct as 'the inherent disposition of a living organism toward a particular behavior'. So, something inherent in us is encouraging specific behavior. I find that interesting.
Now, assuming that God did create the world, then one could suppose that there would be traces of God left within the creation. Could it be those traces of God that give us the inherent desire to seek meaning beyond ourselves? Could the quest for self-actualization really be an instinct not only to find, but also to worship God?
I am reminded of a song by the late Rich Mullins entitled 'The Color Green'. I am told that it was written on a tour bus traveling through the mid-west, looking out onto acres and acres of farmland. To me, the song speaks of all creation uniting in worship, declaring that this earth is part of the house of God. Creation worshiping God through its existence.
The Color Green
beautiful. absolutely beautiful. rocks crying out, fields praising God through color. It is in nature to worship God. It is in our nature, our instinct, to worship God.
Could this be the first step to understanding what worship truly is...allowing the traces of God within us to help us recognize the Creator. The creation instinctually seeking the Creator? It's something to think about.
More to come on this....
instinct
All creatures have instinct. I really don't quite understand it, but somehow all living things have them. Wikipedia defines instinct as 'the inherent disposition of a living organism toward a particular behavior'. So, something inherent in us is encouraging specific behavior. I find that interesting.
Now, assuming that God did create the world, then one could suppose that there would be traces of God left within the creation. Could it be those traces of God that give us the inherent desire to seek meaning beyond ourselves? Could the quest for self-actualization really be an instinct not only to find, but also to worship God?
I am reminded of a song by the late Rich Mullins entitled 'The Color Green'. I am told that it was written on a tour bus traveling through the mid-west, looking out onto acres and acres of farmland. To me, the song speaks of all creation uniting in worship, declaring that this earth is part of the house of God. Creation worshiping God through its existence.
The Color Green
And the moon is a sliver of silver
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out
And the wrens have returned and they're nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again
And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I'm amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out
Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise
Like a shaving that fell on the floor of a Carpenter's shop
And every house must have it's builder
And I awoke in the house of God
Where the windows are mornings and evenings
Stretched from the sun
Across the sky north to south
And on my way to early meeting
I heard the rocks crying out
I heard the rocks crying out
And the wrens have returned and they're nesting
In the hollow of that oak where his heart once had been
And he lifts up his arms in a blessing for being born again
And the streams are all swollen with winter
Winter unfrozen and free to run away now
And I'm amazed when I remember
Who it was that built this house
And with the rocks I cry out
Be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of Your hands
Suns that rise and rains that fall to bless and bring to life Your land
Look down upon this winter wheat and be glad that You have made
Blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise
beautiful. absolutely beautiful. rocks crying out, fields praising God through color. It is in nature to worship God. It is in our nature, our instinct, to worship God.
Could this be the first step to understanding what worship truly is...allowing the traces of God within us to help us recognize the Creator. The creation instinctually seeking the Creator? It's something to think about.
More to come on this....
Friday, July 6, 2007
Worship Production Process
Adapted from the Willow Arts Conference 2007
I attended a breakout entitled Conducting an Effective Technical Rehearsal where one of willow's technical directors (Todd Elliot) and one of their producers (Chuck Spong) co-presented the material. All of which was very good, but the thing that really caught me was their production development model. I have added my own interpretation and experience to it and adapted the following diagram and commentary:
Theory:
The vertical axis represents the amount of influence someone has on the pre-production & development of the event/video/project/etc. The horizontal axis represents the production time-line. This will range greatly depending on the project. The main theory (which is actually quite obvious, yet few of us actually practice) is during the first half of pre-production, the creative inputs have the majority of influence on the project. But once you pass a certain threshold (which is determined by each individual team and may be different for each project), the influence transfers from the creative input to the implementation and execution aspects of production.
I am going to use the example of planning a weekly worship gathering to help illustrate this process.
Creative Development:
Whether it is an individual or a team that plans worship, the inception is where the creative brainstorming begins. We ask ourselves the question... "what do we want to do this week"? Ideas are thrown out and eventually the elements of the gathering begin to take shape. Often, many planning teams stay in the brainstorming stage too long (days - even weeks) which will ultimately negatively affect the overall health of the team due to unnecessary stress and anxiety created by the lack of decision making.
Creative Threshold:
This is the point at which the overall influence on the project/production (worship gathering in our case) changes from creative brainstorming to the implementation and execution of the ideas presented. This is where a plan needs to be (for the most part) agreed upon & finalized. I say 'for the most part' because there will always be small changes and tweaks that will occur (which is accounted for in the diagram), but major themes/elements/ideas do not change after this point.
If, for some reason, significant components or elements do change after this point, all involved will need to accept this unavoidable result: either the timeline is extended to accommodate the changes or an understanding that since the normal timeline has now been reduced, the normal expectations will also need to be reduced.
Production Implementation:
At this point the elements of the production/project (worship gathering) have been set and confirmed. A plan is in place, and all involved know what they are responsible for and begin to actually create, implement, and coordinate the ideas that have been generated. It is important to note that creativity does not cease to exist at this point. In fact, this is when artistic influence is very important in regards to creating the specific elements (music, art, photography, dance, message, etc). This is when our artists are freed up to create. The planning team has defined the end goal and some guidelines and now we can enable our teams to do that which they do best.
It is my opinion that when those involved in the implementation are all on the same page & there is trust that the overall goal & guidelines of the project will not get changed that truly great expressions of faith emerge in ways that we could never plan.
Of course there will be unforeseen challenges requiring tweaks and modifications. These are common and should be expected. There should always be a philosophy of flexibility in all projects & productions. If you are rigid and try to micromanage large productions, it will make everyone hate you, which wouldn't be very fun.
That 1 great idea
I do want to acknowledge that it is usually in the midst of implementation, less than 3 days out from the service, that the best ideas come. This is a truth that we just have to accept. You find yourself siting there editing a video or setting up the stage and KA-POW it hits you. You think to yourself that this idea will have so much impact that the entire congregation will be motivated to give an extra 10% but it can only be done during this particular service. You rationalize it by saying, this is the least we can do...it's for God, and didn't he send his Son to....well you know the thought process. If this happens less than 3 times a year and your team is able & willing to try it, I'd say go for it. If it happens more frequently than that, then I'd say write the idea down and save it in your ideas folder (you have one of these that you reference at every planning meeting right?) because there will come a time that you can incorporate that idea...and make it even better with proper planning!
Timeline
One thing to consider is that there is a direct correlation to the level of complexity in a project/production and the timeline you set for the entire process (inception to implementation). The more complex a project, the more time you need to design & implement. For example...
Elements:
If you have multiple elements (drama, dance, music, video, message, baptism, etc) that will increase the amount of design, planning and communication needed.
Art:
The type of art you utilize will effect the timeline. Does a dance need to be choreographed, a new song to learn, a painting to create, a set to design & build.
People:
The more people you have involved, the more difficult & longer it takes to communicate, organize, and mobilize all those people.
Technology:
The type of technology matters too. Do you have lights to program, microphones to set up & sound check, videos to create, etc.
anyway...I hope this helps. I have talked to, and heard about many churches who struggle every week with worship production (and other projects as well) simply because there wasn't an agreement about when the creative influence on the overall direction of the production/project would give way to the actual implementation of the ideas created. I have seen many talented people burned out after the normal 2-3 years in ministry because they are always working with significant last-minute changes. I would challenge all of us who are in a role of influence regarding church production to take stock of our current process and compare it with some of these principles. I don't think it would hurt anything to try.
I attended a breakout entitled Conducting an Effective Technical Rehearsal where one of willow's technical directors (Todd Elliot) and one of their producers (Chuck Spong) co-presented the material. All of which was very good, but the thing that really caught me was their production development model. I have added my own interpretation and experience to it and adapted the following diagram and commentary:
Theory:
The vertical axis represents the amount of influence someone has on the pre-production & development of the event/video/project/etc. The horizontal axis represents the production time-line. This will range greatly depending on the project. The main theory (which is actually quite obvious, yet few of us actually practice) is during the first half of pre-production, the creative inputs have the majority of influence on the project. But once you pass a certain threshold (which is determined by each individual team and may be different for each project), the influence transfers from the creative input to the implementation and execution aspects of production.
I am going to use the example of planning a weekly worship gathering to help illustrate this process.
Creative Development:
Whether it is an individual or a team that plans worship, the inception is where the creative brainstorming begins. We ask ourselves the question... "what do we want to do this week"? Ideas are thrown out and eventually the elements of the gathering begin to take shape. Often, many planning teams stay in the brainstorming stage too long (days - even weeks) which will ultimately negatively affect the overall health of the team due to unnecessary stress and anxiety created by the lack of decision making.
Creative Threshold:
This is the point at which the overall influence on the project/production (worship gathering in our case) changes from creative brainstorming to the implementation and execution of the ideas presented. This is where a plan needs to be (for the most part) agreed upon & finalized. I say 'for the most part' because there will always be small changes and tweaks that will occur (which is accounted for in the diagram), but major themes/elements/ideas do not change after this point.
If, for some reason, significant components or elements do change after this point, all involved will need to accept this unavoidable result: either the timeline is extended to accommodate the changes or an understanding that since the normal timeline has now been reduced, the normal expectations will also need to be reduced.
Production Implementation:
At this point the elements of the production/project (worship gathering) have been set and confirmed. A plan is in place, and all involved know what they are responsible for and begin to actually create, implement, and coordinate the ideas that have been generated. It is important to note that creativity does not cease to exist at this point. In fact, this is when artistic influence is very important in regards to creating the specific elements (music, art, photography, dance, message, etc). This is when our artists are freed up to create. The planning team has defined the end goal and some guidelines and now we can enable our teams to do that which they do best.
It is my opinion that when those involved in the implementation are all on the same page & there is trust that the overall goal & guidelines of the project will not get changed that truly great expressions of faith emerge in ways that we could never plan.
Of course there will be unforeseen challenges requiring tweaks and modifications. These are common and should be expected. There should always be a philosophy of flexibility in all projects & productions. If you are rigid and try to micromanage large productions, it will make everyone hate you, which wouldn't be very fun.
That 1 great idea
I do want to acknowledge that it is usually in the midst of implementation, less than 3 days out from the service, that the best ideas come. This is a truth that we just have to accept. You find yourself siting there editing a video or setting up the stage and KA-POW it hits you. You think to yourself that this idea will have so much impact that the entire congregation will be motivated to give an extra 10% but it can only be done during this particular service. You rationalize it by saying, this is the least we can do...it's for God, and didn't he send his Son to....well you know the thought process. If this happens less than 3 times a year and your team is able & willing to try it, I'd say go for it. If it happens more frequently than that, then I'd say write the idea down and save it in your ideas folder (you have one of these that you reference at every planning meeting right?) because there will come a time that you can incorporate that idea...and make it even better with proper planning!
Timeline
One thing to consider is that there is a direct correlation to the level of complexity in a project/production and the timeline you set for the entire process (inception to implementation). The more complex a project, the more time you need to design & implement. For example...
Elements:
If you have multiple elements (drama, dance, music, video, message, baptism, etc) that will increase the amount of design, planning and communication needed.
Art:
The type of art you utilize will effect the timeline. Does a dance need to be choreographed, a new song to learn, a painting to create, a set to design & build.
People:
The more people you have involved, the more difficult & longer it takes to communicate, organize, and mobilize all those people.
Technology:
The type of technology matters too. Do you have lights to program, microphones to set up & sound check, videos to create, etc.
anyway...I hope this helps. I have talked to, and heard about many churches who struggle every week with worship production (and other projects as well) simply because there wasn't an agreement about when the creative influence on the overall direction of the production/project would give way to the actual implementation of the ideas created. I have seen many talented people burned out after the normal 2-3 years in ministry because they are always working with significant last-minute changes. I would challenge all of us who are in a role of influence regarding church production to take stock of our current process and compare it with some of these principles. I don't think it would hurt anything to try.
what's right with the world
as i mentioned earlier, the theme for the willow arts conference is 'what's right with the world'. As always, willow delivers by bringing out new & exhilarating ways to integrate faith, art and culture in a corporate worship setting. I will do my best to relay some of my experiences and learnings here, but I also suggest you check out their online experience which is a blog with video clips from the main sessions, backstage interviews, pics, etc. Here's a pretty good pic of the crowd...pretty sweet stage design.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
a broken hallelujah
several weeks ago, our church offered the use of its facility & resources to host the visitation & funeral of an 18 year old girl who was tragically kidnapped and murdered. The entire metro area was in shock. As we planned the logistics and supported the services, I had to compartmentalize all of the feelings and emotions I was experiencing so they wouldn't interfere with my responsibilities. I guess I didn't fully realize how much emotion was bottling up.
late that night, following the funeral, I boarded a plane along with 2 others from our media team to go to the willow creek arts conference which started early the next morning. The theme of the conference was 'whats right with the world'. Suffice it to say that I could tell you a lot about what was wrong with the world at that particular moment in time. They did give us these wristbands that contained a 128mb flash drive in them which was a clever idea. I was intrigued.
one of the sessions that day was given by Nancy Beach titled 'the audacity of hope' which was borrowed from Obama's book. The premise was that as worship leaders, musician's, artists, and people in ministry that there are times that we are broken or experiencing grief and pain and to be able to step on stage and be an inspiration of hope to others is not only difficult, but rather audacious. Nancy continued, though, that she feels we should not try to mask those feelings by pretending the pain is not there, but rather authentically offer up a broken hallelujah, a praise to God amidst our pain. This definitely struck a chord.
So, as I was sitting there, absorbing these ideas of what is right with the world alongside the concept of a broken hallelujah, Aaron Neiquist (worship leader at Mars Hill) led us in a song he wrote entitled 'enchanted'. Here are the lyrics from the chorus:
this world is enchanted
lean closer to see it
this world in enchanted
dare to breathe it in
As we sang those words, all of that emotion that I had bottled up earlier in the week began to find an outlet. But it wasn't until they began singing 'this is my father's world' that it really hit me. This verse in particular:
this is my Father's world
o let me ne'er forget
that tho the wrong seems oft' so strong
God is the ruler yet
as i sang these words I thought of many things, but primarily of the young girl who will not see a 19th birthday. I thought of my own daughter who will turn 4 years old this July. It was then I felt a tear roll down my cheek as i offered up my own broken hallelujah.
late that night, following the funeral, I boarded a plane along with 2 others from our media team to go to the willow creek arts conference which started early the next morning. The theme of the conference was 'whats right with the world'. Suffice it to say that I could tell you a lot about what was wrong with the world at that particular moment in time. They did give us these wristbands that contained a 128mb flash drive in them which was a clever idea. I was intrigued.
one of the sessions that day was given by Nancy Beach titled 'the audacity of hope' which was borrowed from Obama's book. The premise was that as worship leaders, musician's, artists, and people in ministry that there are times that we are broken or experiencing grief and pain and to be able to step on stage and be an inspiration of hope to others is not only difficult, but rather audacious. Nancy continued, though, that she feels we should not try to mask those feelings by pretending the pain is not there, but rather authentically offer up a broken hallelujah, a praise to God amidst our pain. This definitely struck a chord.
So, as I was sitting there, absorbing these ideas of what is right with the world alongside the concept of a broken hallelujah, Aaron Neiquist (worship leader at Mars Hill) led us in a song he wrote entitled 'enchanted'. Here are the lyrics from the chorus:
this world is enchanted
lean closer to see it
this world in enchanted
dare to breathe it in
As we sang those words, all of that emotion that I had bottled up earlier in the week began to find an outlet. But it wasn't until they began singing 'this is my father's world' that it really hit me. This verse in particular:
this is my Father's world
o let me ne'er forget
that tho the wrong seems oft' so strong
God is the ruler yet
as i sang these words I thought of many things, but primarily of the young girl who will not see a 19th birthday. I thought of my own daughter who will turn 4 years old this July. It was then I felt a tear roll down my cheek as i offered up my own broken hallelujah.
Monday, July 2, 2007
local coffee
The coffee house i usually visit (usually meaning once every few months) went bankrupt and a new owner has come in to take on the challenge. Maybe it was because I am the typical 'regular' and that just isn't enough to turn a profit. hopefully this one will stay afloat...they have comfortable chairs and free wifi.
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