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For Today: Sunday, December 20, 2015
Well, I'm back from a self-imposed hiatus from blogging. There was a lot swilling around in my grey matter, but I just didn't feel up to writing it down. The 31 Days of 5 Minute Freewrites took me to a very dark place that I felt I needed to start working my way out of before I sat at the keyboard to create again.
There's been many happenings the last month, so be warned, this will be a long one. Grab a cup of coffee and sit down for a spell.
I am thinking...
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| Melvin Brewster 1951-2015 |
I'm pondering the coming year. Many prayers and tears have gone up on my behalf; I don't want anyone to feel like they wasted their time. I want to set some real goals and meet them. Not pie in the sky resolutions, but real goals that will guide my life in the right direction.
I'm formulating my reading challenge for 2016. What do I call it? What are my reading goals? How do I get y'all to participate with me? (Yes, that was a hint)
I'm making decisions on what kinds of art to create in the coming year. Art based on my photographs and creating Christmas cards tops the list right now. Also, I want to figure out how I can find out about local craft fairs a little sooner than two weeks after they happen (Hard to participate that way).
My 101 in 1001 list is on my mind. I need to update it and get cracking some of the things I've started.
I am thankful... for hope. I'm thankful for mentoring and guidance. I'm thankful for people who care even when I don't. I'm thankful for the "little" things God does to answer prayers that may seem ridiculous to anyone else. I'm thankful for my Savior's birth and the freedom to celebrate it.
From the Workshop...
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| Baby Elephant Hat |
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| Made two of these peppermint afghans. |
I am reading... I finished My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. The review is here. I've got several books in the works and hope I can finish them in the next two weeks.
I am looking forward to...
I am learning…
Last week I learned from Pastor Staples that there is another stanza of Hark the Herald Angels Sing:
Powerful, isn't it? Sadly, I've never heard anyone sing it, nor is it included in many hymnals. It makes me think that we are missing something, no, missing a lot, by either not having all of the lyrics of songs in the hymnal or music book, or by having them in the books but never singing them.
Look, I know I'm still very new to being Baptist, but seems like singing all the lyrics of a song wouldn't throw the service too far into overtime. Yeah, I can hear some of my Non-Denominational friends wagging their hair weave at me (I can tease, I are one of them too), BUT we've got our own musical sacred cows that need to be slaughtered. I've seen many a lyric unnecessarily changed. Not because of something questionable, something with heresy, or something just plain wrong, but because of "confession."
Here's what I mean.
Many moons (and worship leaders) ago I was told once that we would either change the lyric "I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it" in the song Heart of Worship, or we wouldn't sing it at all. Why? According to the powers that be, they were "tired of being sorry."
To quote the great Lewis Grizzard: Do what?
Can I tell y'all a secret? I've been in some form of music ministry for 28 years, and it is rare that I finish a worship service feeling satisfied. Out of the thousands (yes, thousands) of services I've participated in, there are maybe 20 that I can say, "Yes, I believe the musicians, singers/choir, Pastor (yes, he counts) and congregation (yes, they count too) were all in tune with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was duly honored, and everything that was said and done pleased the Father."
Maybe 20.
We are so worried about making a good confession (or in this case impression) that we don't care about honoring God with true, unbridled worship. Yes, I believe that our words are very important, and making proper scriptural confession is biblical. However, God "calls the things that be not as though they were," (Romans 4:17) not "call the things that are as though they were not."
Plus, it's not all about us. As they say in Celebrate Recovery, "Don't forget the newcomer." We don't know what others are going through, nor what impact what is sung or preached may have on them. OK, sermon over...for now.
A favorite quote for today...
- Our Christmas Eve service.
- Auntie spending Christmas day with some of her babies.
- Tomorrow is Winter Solstice, so I'm looking forward to the days starting to get longer. Have I mentioned how much I loathe the time change?
- The new year truly being full of new things instead of the same old crap.
- Reading new books.
- Getting some sleep.
I am learning…
Last week I learned from Pastor Staples that there is another stanza of Hark the Herald Angels Sing:
Come, Desire of nations come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
Glory to the Newborn King.
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the Woman's conquering Seed,
Bruise in us the Serpent's head.
Adam's likeness now efface:
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam, from above,
Reinstate us in thy love.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,
Glory to the Newborn King.
Powerful, isn't it? Sadly, I've never heard anyone sing it, nor is it included in many hymnals. It makes me think that we are missing something, no, missing a lot, by either not having all of the lyrics of songs in the hymnal or music book, or by having them in the books but never singing them.
Look, I know I'm still very new to being Baptist, but seems like singing all the lyrics of a song wouldn't throw the service too far into overtime. Yeah, I can hear some of my Non-Denominational friends wagging their hair weave at me (I can tease, I are one of them too), BUT we've got our own musical sacred cows that need to be slaughtered. I've seen many a lyric unnecessarily changed. Not because of something questionable, something with heresy, or something just plain wrong, but because of "confession."
Here's what I mean.
Many moons (and worship leaders) ago I was told once that we would either change the lyric "I'm sorry Lord for the thing I've made it" in the song Heart of Worship, or we wouldn't sing it at all. Why? According to the powers that be, they were "tired of being sorry."
To quote the great Lewis Grizzard: Do what?
Can I tell y'all a secret? I've been in some form of music ministry for 28 years, and it is rare that I finish a worship service feeling satisfied. Out of the thousands (yes, thousands) of services I've participated in, there are maybe 20 that I can say, "Yes, I believe the musicians, singers/choir, Pastor (yes, he counts) and congregation (yes, they count too) were all in tune with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was duly honored, and everything that was said and done pleased the Father."
Maybe 20.
We are so worried about making a good confession (or in this case impression) that we don't care about honoring God with true, unbridled worship. Yes, I believe that our words are very important, and making proper scriptural confession is biblical. However, God "calls the things that be not as though they were," (Romans 4:17) not "call the things that are as though they were not."
Plus, it's not all about us. As they say in Celebrate Recovery, "Don't forget the newcomer." We don't know what others are going through, nor what impact what is sung or preached may have on them. OK, sermon over...for now.
A favorite quote for today...
"Both nations and individuals have tried Christianity and abandoned it, because
it has been found too difficult; but no man has ever gone through the crisis of
deliberately making Jesus Lord and found Him to be a failure." - Oswald Chambers
A few plans for the rest of the week: Work and rest mostly.
And now for something totally different...
From Twitter: @JonAcuff tweeted:
Talk I overheard my kids having:
My 12yo: I like NYC! There are so many types of people.
My 10yo: I know! In Nashville we only have hipsters
From Facebook: D.Havens shared: "Saw Star Wars last night. Can't believe Jar Jar is Darth Vader's father. Did not see that coming."
From Facebook:
From Twitter: @ChrchCurmudgeon tweeted:
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But my coffee is so delightful
And since I've no place to go
I'm going to have another cup of coffee
From Facebook:
From Facebook: M.Getto shared:
From Facebook: G.Wade shared:
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