Worship is not...

My wife Gail came up with a line after her devotional today that rocked my heart:

Worship is not about about what it is, but where it takes you.

Genius.

We can sure get hung up on what songs, what style, what tempo, etc., etc., and really all that matters is whether we truly arrive at a place--engagement with God.

OSC redux

Okay, one more Orson Scott Card quote--found this term on his review of the second Narnia movie:

"cinematic roadkill"

Laughed out loud, all alone in my studio. :)

[edit]

After reading this post on my site, I thought I'd better clarify--OSC wasn't using that term to describe the 2nd Narnia movie, quite the opposite. The context was that he thought that the studio did a good job making a movie that was true to the great book, and that he hoped the same thing would happen to his own stories--so that they WOULDN'T BECOME "cinematic roadkill."

Sorry for the murkiness!

Orson Scott Card totally hits the target

I love Orson Scott Card; I love the way he writes, the way he thinks. And today I got a pleasant confirmation of his talents by happening across his blog review of Wall-E [spoiler alert!] along with several other things, most notably a review of some recently-released music by contemporary christian artists that gets right to the heart of the matter. Some may take offense (so what else is new, and in a sense a confirmation of some of his points!); but he makes some very important observations about the state of contemporary christian music. Not to be missed.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this blog is that he covers so many diverse topics. Way to go, OSC; I'm as big a fan as ever!

Everything [in us] speaks

Disney culture is famous for its maxim “Everything speaks,” which means that every detail within a Disney experience (at a park, in a movie, or in merchandise) says something, good or bad, true or false, intentional on unintentional. Disney employees and leaders are ruthless and meticulous about insuring that every single detail contributes to the impression they are trying to make on their guests. Buildings, signs, trees, flowers, streets and walkways, even trashcans, are designed and decorated to match an overall ambience with great care and intentionality.

In the same way, we “speak” every time we step out into public. We can offer blessing, love, and care, and enhance the lives of others; or we can choose to use, abuse, mistreat, or dominate them to our own sinful ends. This is true whether in the coffee shop or on the highway, at home with our families or in a crowded mall with total strangers. Our lives are always “speaking,” and cannot help doing so.

Thus, the first and greatest test of our inner convictions is our behavior in front of and treatment of others. From this first encounter they will form an opinion of us; from that they will add to their opinion about people and their philosophy of life; and of course this will all contribute to their opinion of their own existence within reality.

As john Ortberg and many others have said, “we are constantly being spiritually formed; the question to ask is: what forming us?” Spiritual formation is going on at all times in our lives. We are taking in impressions, ideas, opinions, leadings, and directions from the world around us. As a thirsty plant draws water and nutrients from the soil around it (whether rich in nutrients or poor), we too draw in from whatever is around us.

In the lives of others, we are a part of their spiritual landscape—we contribute the nutrients, water, and life-giving surroundings in which they move. What kind of contribution do we make? Are we used by God in ways that give life to others? Are we in tune with God, and passing that along? Or do we ignore God’s leading in our lives, and instead take our cue from the lesser influences in the world around us, subsequently (and perhaps unwittingly) passing those on to others?

What kind of people are we? What do we contribute to others?

standing in the arc - The Blue Devils

I got a chance to do something Wednesday evening that I don't get to do very often, but that always gives me a lift musically. I got to watch an open rehearsal of my one of my favorite musical groups, the Concord Blue Devils. I've been a fan of BD since they first emerged on the competitive marching scene in the early 70's, and have been an admirer ever since.

Several things stood out for me in this experience:

1. First and foremost, standing and listening to 70 very highly-trained and -disciplined brass players play as one voice. REMARKABLE sound and blend. No one stuck out, no one tried to "be heard above the others"; the story here was complete unity and being on the same page. The sound was glorious: loud only at the peaks when needed; controlled; lush, beautiful, in tune and together. The rehearsal was led by my friend John Meehan (brass director of the group) and Wayne Downey, legendary musical director and brass arranger for the Devils over the past 34 years (and one of my personal heroes as a composer-arranger).

2. The warmth and friendliness of each member with whom I spoke. These folks really care about their image to the outside world, and they are great people all-around. Each was courteous and very helpful.

3. The highest level of discipline imaginable. Though the entire group (numbering around 150) spent the last 45 minutes or so in a rehearsal on the field that contained much "down" time--pauses for cleanup, giving changes in the program, running sections again and again--no one ever acted up, much less even spoke, out of turn. The attitude of the entire group seemed to communicate that this rehearsal is for everybody, and only those folks who need to talk should talk; everyone else needs to listen and learn. Amazing--choirs, bands, and other kinds of organizations could certainly learn a lot from this kind of presentation.

4. The discipline started at the top, with the instructors: each instruction was given peacefully, with great respect, and many "thank you's" from the staff to the group. No one raised a voice, and all constructive criticism was spoken with great respect for the hearer, and surrounded by an equal (or greater) amount of postiive praise for things done well.

All of this is amazing, and then of course the obvious result is one incredible musical statement by a group brass players, drummers, percussionists, dancers, and visual artists coming together to communicate with one voice an amazing musical program of astonishing depth and richness.

The Blue Devils went on to win the following evening (as they have been doing with alarming regularity this entire summer season!), and it's no surprise. They have the winning combination of great vision, great program, great teaching, and great concept of individual responsibility and integrity. I wish them the very best this summer!

Being loved

A wise person once said “most of our problems stem from our inability to recognize God’s love for us.” When we know we are truly loved, truly forgiven, and truly empowered to live, we are free to STOP—stop fighting, scrapping, competing, jockeying for position, and trying to get ahead. We stop trying to dominate conversations, win arguments, and exert our will over another. We stop worrying “if there will be enough for us at the end,” “whether someone will take our place, or our credit,” or “what will happen to us.”

This does not come easily, and certainly not all at once. Believing and appropriating God’s love is a long process, and is made longer by our frequent relapses into thinking that we are the captain of our own ship and responsible for our own well being and future. Every time we “take matters into our own hands,” we stop practicing believing that God is who He says He is, and that He can do what He says He will do. His promises are clear, and they are pointed directly at us; and yet, when we don’t believe them, we block Him out, and lose out on His blessing.

The line between our action and His intervention is often a gray one, unclear and even at times murky. But lately I have noticed one indicator for discerning the source of our drive and power: it is the condition of our souls during the doing. If we are peaceful, quiet, and secure, we are likely responding to His energy in our lives; but if we are frantic, nervous, trying to win or get it done quickly (out of concern that it won’t happen), we may be trying to make something happen in our lives apart from His power.

We can monitor our souls as we move through our days. The task might be a good one, perhaps even one ordained by God; and yet we will not ultimately draw upon the resource of relationship with Him if we allow fear to motivate us in the action. Our actions must be a response to what God has done, not a replacement for what we fear He has not done.

Fasting (for real)

Last week I fasted for the first time in a long time. It lasted just 1-1/3 days, and yet It was easily the most meaningful fast I’ve ever done--an amazing time of being close to God. I can now see what Willard and others have talked about: in times of abstinence from earthly things, God certainly can grow larger in our experience.

I also felt as though my spiritual sensitivity was heightened. I felt more in tune with my own feelings and inner leadings; I also felt more peaceful, and more attuned to the needs of others. What I felt most of all was non-competitive. I didn’t feel as though I was battling others—in conversation, accomplishments, needs met, agendas passed. I felt a continuing sense that “things will work out—there is time for each of us.” Perhaps this is the greatest danger in our dependence upon earthly sustenance: we get demanding, we get self-focused, and we get impatient that somehow our needs won’t get met and we won’t be okay.

I finally [start to] get Dallas Willard

It seems that everyone I respect in the world of Spiritual Formation thinks very highly of the writings of Dallas Willard. I confess I have tried on several occasions in the past to read Willard, but it hasn’t clicked. Perhaps it is his more formal style of writing (which I remember slowing me down in my first introduction to C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton), or maybe it was the fact that the very officious (and somewhat bland) Times font was used in the editions I read. Pretty lame excuses, I know...

Having just returned from the Willow Creek Arts Conference where I attended a session by Mindy Caliguire (another of my mentors in formation), I decided to give old Dallas another try, and picked up Spirit of the Disciplines. Wow—something clicked. I literally FELL in to the writing. He spoke to places in my life that were needful, and offered depth of truth that sunk down deep in my soul and took root. In one fell swoop I started to “get” Willard, and see why everyone else seemed to get him much earlier than I did. (Sorry Dallas, I’m slow.)

The greatest books in my life on the topic of formation have been (and in the order I would suggest others read them when embarking upon the journey of life change and soul care): The Life You’ve Always Wanted by John Ortberg and Shaped by the Word by Robert Mulholland. To this list I must add Willard’s Spirit of the Disciplines. It really is amazing, especially since it doesn’t just talk about the disciplines themselves, but treats their history, biblical roots, and meaning in our lives in great depth.

I’m most of the way through the book, highlighting madly; when I finish I’ll collect my notes and start through again. I can see spending a lot of time with this book over the next few months.