I just visited Boise, Idaho last weekend. There's a statement I didn't ever expect to say! Seriously, being born and raised in CA, and lived for significant portions of my life either in the Bay Area or Los Angeles, even the thought of going to a place like Boise never crossed my mind. Not that it's a bad place, it's actually quite nice and beautiful. But more on that later.
As I continue my search for youth pastor jobs, one of the places I sent my resume to was a church called Trinity Presbyterian Church in Boise. They sent me a questionairre to fill out, and one of my responses sparked the attention of the senior pastor. On a question about which authors or books played a significant role in my faith journey, theological development, and youth ministry, I put down that Bishop N. T. Wright has been probably the biggest influence on my life in terms of how I think theologically and how I read the Bible. (I highly recommend reading him if any of you haven't yet. He's incredibly insightful!). The senior pastor said that he owns almost everything Wright has written, and has played a major role in his thinking as well. When I did my first phone interview with him and another member of the search committee, our conversation was more theological than anything pertaining strictly to youth ministry. I had a couple of follow-up phone conversations with other members of the search team. After another couple of weeks, they told me that I was their primary candidate and wanted to fly me out for a weekend to see the church and talk more in-depth with them. This was the first time that I was ever asked to fly anywhere for an interview, so it was certainly an exciting opportunity! The church paid for my flight and made all the arrangements. So, last Friday morning I flew out to Boise.
The trip was definitely an enjoyable experience! I had a lot of great conversations with the senior pastor about the history of the church and the ways he has led the congregation for the past 10 years. What makes this church interesting is that it's a Presbyterian church that is moving in the direction of becoming more like an emerging church. The senior pastor has been highly influenced by guys like Brian MacLaren, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, and lots of other folks involved with the whole emerging church ordeal. Having studied under professors at Fuller who do research into the emerging church and other things related to postmodern culture and church development, I'm very intrigued and encouraged by many things in the emerging church. So needless to say I wanted at least to see what Trinity Pres is about.
Within a couple of hours of landing in Boise and talking to the senior pastor, I had dinner with him and his wife, and two other couples that are part of the search team. I stayed with the elder to youth ministry and his family over the weekend, and on Saturday spent my time split between more time with the senior pastor and a commissioned lay pastor who has mentored youth pastors in the past. There were lots of questions back and forth, lots of sharing of visions and ideas, trying to get at what I would be bringing to the youth ministry at Trinity. I got along really well with the senior pastor and everyone else I spent time with. It really was a wonderful time of meeting new people, sharing life stories and ministry experiences, and talking about what God is doing at Trinity.
Sunday morning was also very cool, as I got to attend the contemporary worship service and hear pastor Joe preach. While they played only one song that I didn't recognize, they use most of the contemporary worship songs that I'm familiar with (unfortunately they are currently without a drummer. A couple of them asked if I would be willing to play, but I chose not to so that I could just observe). They had some liturgical elements that I wasn't that familiar with, but those were mostly call and response prayers. I also liked Pastor Joes's sermon. It was on Moses' calling at the burning bush, and was quite good. He had some insights into the passage that I hadn't heard before, particularly that while Moses had stood up for the Israelite slaves before, Moses never identified himself as being one of them. Then God calls them "my people" when He calls Moses. This sunday was also the 10 year celebration of Pastor Joe's arrival to the church, and there was a church brunch afterwards. They also talked a lot about their Inside Out Sunday from the previous week, where 150 or so members of the church got invovled in various service projects in the community rather than coming to the church campus for worship. Very cool indeed! Later that Sunday I got on a plane and flew back to LA.
While I enjoyed my trip, I had some reservations about taking the position if it were offered to me. The first being that moving out to a whole new area by myself and starting life in unfamiliar territory definitely scared me a bit. I know that making such a move could be an important step in my life, but the thought of it still did freak me out initially. Even so, I tried to surrender that and not worry, knowing that it was ok if I allowed myself time to think and pray about such a major transition.
The second reservation I had was the size and demographic of the church. There's probably less than 200 active members in the church, and the youth group is only about 20-25 students, a combination of junior high and high schoolers (mostly jr highers). Plus, there's almost no volunteer adult staff for the youth group. I'm not opposed to being part of a small church, but if I were to take on the position, I would have to do some major recruiting. This itself wouldn't be a problem, I'm up for the challenge, but it would be nice if there were at least two or three adults involved in the youth group, rather than just me doing everything. The age group the church as a whole is lacking in most is the 18-35 year old range, and this is the primary age group that I would want to pull from for adult leaders. So, I'd have also be thinking of ways to invite young adults to participate in the life of the church. Also, I'm much more inclined to work with high school or college students rather than junior highers. In essence, I would have to jump over some hurdles before I could really get to the point where I would be focusing on the things I really enjoy in youth ministry - working with high school students and focusing a lot on teaching and discipleship. There'd be LOTS of room for developing and expanding the ministry - which does excite me - but I'd have to do a lot of things that I'm not great at in order to be able to move the ministry in a direction where I could feel like I was being the most effective.
Despite my reservations, it turns out they won't be a problem, as I didn't get offered the position. Pastor Joe emailed me early Wednesday morning and said that even though I bring a lot of experience and passion to the youth ministry, the search team decided that what I bring doesn't quite meet their exact needs at this time. Take it for what you will, but I think that they simply saw the need for someone to enjoy focusing on mostly junior high students rather than dealing with it for the time being to be able to move on to other things. So, I was both a little bummed, but also relieved upon getting this news. All in all, I'm not worried, as I have another job interview with First Baptist Church of Riverside next week (they're only about a hour away from where I live, much closer), and began sending out more resumes to churches I saw recent postings for online before I even got the email from Trinity.
So, the train keeps moving on. God is faithful, and I have no doubt that He'll lead me in the right direction. I enjoyed the experience of traveling to this church, and I feel like it was an important step in this journey of job-hunting. I am encouraged by what they're doing, as I do enjoy seeing how God is empowering different churches to impact the Kingdom. I have trusted God to take care of me throughout the year, and He has. I have not lived in fear, which is a huge difference in how I view life compared to even a few years ago.
Thanks so much to all my friends and family who were praying for me throughout the weekend. I greatly appreciate it. Continue to pray for me, as I will be teaching high school again this sunday at Pomona First Baptist (home for now), and as other opportunities develop.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
What's with the naked guy in Gethsemane? - Working theory on Mark 14:51-52
Do you ever come across any passages of the Bible that make you laugh and cause you to wonder why the heck they're there? I love it when stories like these come up, because they're not things you expect. Anybody who says that the Bible is boring clearly hasn't made the attempt to really read it.
I've been reading through a combination of Psalms and Mark in my devotional time, and recently read through Jesus' arrest scene in the garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14. But I had to stop after verses 51-52 because they're so strange. I know I've read them before, but I've never really spent much time thinking about it. This comes right after Jesus' speech upon his arrest and the 12 disciples (other than Judas) flee.
"A young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked." (NASB)
THAT'S IT! The next scene is where Jesus is brought before the high priest and is mocked and accused. What's going on with this naked guy running around the garden? I literally wrote in my Bible "LOL. Why here?" (I told this to my pastor and he said it's like I'm texting God). If I use all of the study tools I know, I don't think I'll get a solid answer. The Greek will still say that he's naked, and if I did a structural outline of the passage, it still probably wouldn't make sense. I haven't read any commentaries, but the text is so random I doubt they would have any solid explanation. One of my professors from APU thinks that the young man is Mark himself. It's a detail only he would have known about. None of the other Gospels have this story. So why is it here? When I read this a few nights ago I probably spent a half an hour trying to think up an explanation. So here's my working theory.
If you read through Mark, it becomes pretty clear that the 12 disciples aren't all that bright. They don't get what Jesus means when he teaches them things, they never can make sense out of the miracles he does, and he repeatedly asks them at different points, "Do you still have no faith?" In short, the disciples are morons while they're with Jesus (keep in mind, I don't see this as a bad thing. I actually find it comforting because of how often I feel like I don't get Jesus or I miss what he's about). So, maybe this is Mark's way of saying, "this is how dumb these guys are" (if Mark is the naked guy, maybe this is him trying to include himself in the stupidity).
So maybe the young guy starts running around naked, because he thinks that this will distract the soldiers long enough for Jesus to make his getaway! Maybe he's thinking, "Jesus, get out of here, I got this. Hey guys, I'm naked, just try and catch me! Wheeee!" Meanwhile Jesus is shaking his head thinking, "I spent three years with these guys, and this is the best they can come up with." He breathes a heavy sigh and shakes his head, knowing that he can laugh with his disciples about this when he sees them in three days.
So, that's my theory on this strange passage. Not very profound, no deep spiritual truths, but sometimes really funny stuff pop ups when you're reading scripture (especially Mark). We might has well have a little fun with it as we're reading, enjoying God's sense of humor for including stuff like this in His Word. Have fun with that one! If you have another explanation, I'd love to hear it.
I've been reading through a combination of Psalms and Mark in my devotional time, and recently read through Jesus' arrest scene in the garden of Gethsemane in Mark 14. But I had to stop after verses 51-52 because they're so strange. I know I've read them before, but I've never really spent much time thinking about it. This comes right after Jesus' speech upon his arrest and the 12 disciples (other than Judas) flee.
"A young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen sheet over his naked body; and they seized him. But he pulled free of the linen sheet and escaped naked." (NASB)
THAT'S IT! The next scene is where Jesus is brought before the high priest and is mocked and accused. What's going on with this naked guy running around the garden? I literally wrote in my Bible "LOL. Why here?" (I told this to my pastor and he said it's like I'm texting God). If I use all of the study tools I know, I don't think I'll get a solid answer. The Greek will still say that he's naked, and if I did a structural outline of the passage, it still probably wouldn't make sense. I haven't read any commentaries, but the text is so random I doubt they would have any solid explanation. One of my professors from APU thinks that the young man is Mark himself. It's a detail only he would have known about. None of the other Gospels have this story. So why is it here? When I read this a few nights ago I probably spent a half an hour trying to think up an explanation. So here's my working theory.
If you read through Mark, it becomes pretty clear that the 12 disciples aren't all that bright. They don't get what Jesus means when he teaches them things, they never can make sense out of the miracles he does, and he repeatedly asks them at different points, "Do you still have no faith?" In short, the disciples are morons while they're with Jesus (keep in mind, I don't see this as a bad thing. I actually find it comforting because of how often I feel like I don't get Jesus or I miss what he's about). So, maybe this is Mark's way of saying, "this is how dumb these guys are" (if Mark is the naked guy, maybe this is him trying to include himself in the stupidity).
So maybe the young guy starts running around naked, because he thinks that this will distract the soldiers long enough for Jesus to make his getaway! Maybe he's thinking, "Jesus, get out of here, I got this. Hey guys, I'm naked, just try and catch me! Wheeee!" Meanwhile Jesus is shaking his head thinking, "I spent three years with these guys, and this is the best they can come up with." He breathes a heavy sigh and shakes his head, knowing that he can laugh with his disciples about this when he sees them in three days.
So, that's my theory on this strange passage. Not very profound, no deep spiritual truths, but sometimes really funny stuff pop ups when you're reading scripture (especially Mark). We might has well have a little fun with it as we're reading, enjoying God's sense of humor for including stuff like this in His Word. Have fun with that one! If you have another explanation, I'd love to hear it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Music Part 3: Inspired to worship because of Jazz and Sting
I'm still watching the Ken Burn's Jazz documentary on DVD. Only made it through 2 out of 10 discs, so it's slow going but quite enjoyable. One of the things I've found so enjoyable in watching the documentary about the development of jazz music is how it inspires me as a musician. I've been a fan of jazz music for roughly 8 years, and listen to it partially because it challenges me to play better. In fact, one of the things I look for when I listen to certain artists and bands is how their music inspires me to be a better drummer. This is essentially one of the major reasons why the Dave Matthews Band is my favorite group - I will never be able to play as well as DMB's drummer Carter Beauford, or even be able to play exactly like him. BUT, that doesn't mean that I can't continually push myself to practice harder and incorporate beats, fills, rolls, and patterns that he uses into my own style or with the groups that I play in. I really only play in worship bands, and I really enjoy it. Part of what I try to bring to the table is a different feel or different types of fills and patterns that one wouldn't expect, but which still work for the song and potentially enhance it. I'm greatly indebted to Carter and DMB, as well as David Garibaldi of Tower of Power, Stevie Wonder, Dave Weckl (famous jazz/fusion drummer), and many others, because I look to their playing styles for inspiration and ideas for how to play better.
It's amazing to me how much music inspires the various parts of our lives. Different songs and genres can bring about so many types of emotions - love, joy, anger, frustration, excitement, passion, and so on. My mood can change radically because I play a certain song or band, or a song can help me express something that I had been feeling but was unable to articulate. But I think most importantly, music should inspire us to worship God as the one who created music and endowed people with the ability to play it, and for all of us to enjoy it. I'm not speaking strictly of Christian music or worship music in this case, but those both apply. Here's a story to illustrate what I mean.
About four years ago when I was living in Santa Cruz, I was working at Twin Lakes Church and got to play fairly regularly with Rob Patterson, the worship leader of the Genesis service (currently he leads the worship music at Faith Community Church in downtown Santa Cruz, an emerging church plant that is being backed by Twin Lakes). During that year, Sting went on tour for the "Sacred Love" album. My dad and I went and ended up finding Rob and his wife on the field at Shoreline Ampitheatre. We all loved the concert, and as Rob and I talked about it in the following weeks, he said that he enjoyed it so much he kept wanting to raise his hands in worship! But, he restrained himself, saying "No, I can't do that. This is Sting, not God." But he went to say that in those moments he would pray "Thank you Lord for creating Sting and giving him the musical abilities that he has, regardless of whether or not he acknowledges you as the source of those gifts. At least I know that they came from you and I can praise you for that."
Imagine that! Being inspired to praise God because of a Sting concert! My friend Rob and I were inspired because of Sting's music, and it challenged us not only to be better musicians, but to enjoy the fact that God created music and wants us to use it to celebrate Him and the life He has given us.
I feel like I could go on on and on about this because of how enjoyable music is and the different things it inspires. But rather than reading what I have to say about it, I'd rather hear other people's ideas. How does music inspire you? What kinds of music do you find inspirational, and what does that inspiration lead to? How would define inspiration within music? What do you feel compelled to do or to be when you listen to the music that you do? What do you need from music, and how does music speak to your emotions or help you articulate them? Does music have to be "Christian" or "worship music" in order for it to praise our Creator? How does music inspire you to think about God and follow Christ more intimately? Please, I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on any of this.
It's amazing to me how much music inspires the various parts of our lives. Different songs and genres can bring about so many types of emotions - love, joy, anger, frustration, excitement, passion, and so on. My mood can change radically because I play a certain song or band, or a song can help me express something that I had been feeling but was unable to articulate. But I think most importantly, music should inspire us to worship God as the one who created music and endowed people with the ability to play it, and for all of us to enjoy it. I'm not speaking strictly of Christian music or worship music in this case, but those both apply. Here's a story to illustrate what I mean.
About four years ago when I was living in Santa Cruz, I was working at Twin Lakes Church and got to play fairly regularly with Rob Patterson, the worship leader of the Genesis service (currently he leads the worship music at Faith Community Church in downtown Santa Cruz, an emerging church plant that is being backed by Twin Lakes). During that year, Sting went on tour for the "Sacred Love" album. My dad and I went and ended up finding Rob and his wife on the field at Shoreline Ampitheatre. We all loved the concert, and as Rob and I talked about it in the following weeks, he said that he enjoyed it so much he kept wanting to raise his hands in worship! But, he restrained himself, saying "No, I can't do that. This is Sting, not God." But he went to say that in those moments he would pray "Thank you Lord for creating Sting and giving him the musical abilities that he has, regardless of whether or not he acknowledges you as the source of those gifts. At least I know that they came from you and I can praise you for that."
Imagine that! Being inspired to praise God because of a Sting concert! My friend Rob and I were inspired because of Sting's music, and it challenged us not only to be better musicians, but to enjoy the fact that God created music and wants us to use it to celebrate Him and the life He has given us.
I feel like I could go on on and on about this because of how enjoyable music is and the different things it inspires. But rather than reading what I have to say about it, I'd rather hear other people's ideas. How does music inspire you? What kinds of music do you find inspirational, and what does that inspiration lead to? How would define inspiration within music? What do you feel compelled to do or to be when you listen to the music that you do? What do you need from music, and how does music speak to your emotions or help you articulate them? Does music have to be "Christian" or "worship music" in order for it to praise our Creator? How does music inspire you to think about God and follow Christ more intimately? Please, I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on any of this.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Who says So Cal isn't beautiful?
I took some of these pictures during late December/early January after it would rain consistently for a few days. I'm pretty sure that this is Mt. Baldy. It was cool, because as the rain went away and the clouds cleared, you could see a TON of snow on the mountains. This is the view right from the front of my house in Rancho Cucamonga (about 40 or so miles east of Los Angeles). To think that God creates this stuff just to be creative and for us to enjoy! I was so blown away by how cool the mountains looked, I had to take a few pictures. I don't do that very often, but sometimes the urge just strikes. Who says Southern California isn't beautiful?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Music - Part 2: What gives music meaning?
This is a question that I've been thinking about for a long time, ever since my high school days. I think for many people the answer would be simple - the lyrics. A song has meaning because of the message contained within the words of the song. While that is certainly true, is that the only place? What about instrumental pieces of music, like a large number of jazz and orchestral pieces? Are they devoid of meaning because they don't have words? Do the lyrics communicate the true nature of what a given song intends to be, or is there more that is factored in, such as the relationships between the musicians, the context out of which a song or a genre arises? Why does a silly love song like the Beatle's "I Want to Hold Your Hand," speak so profoundly to a generation of young teenagers when a song with more lyrical depth and creativity may go entirely unnoticed?
Now, I don't want to downplay the power of words, because the spoken word does have incredible creative power. The prophets in the Old Testament and Jesus certainly believed that God's word had the power to create and do powerful things (ever notice that most of the miracles Jesus performs are preceeded by a spoken command of some kind?). But when it comes to music, I find that focusing solely on the text of a song misses a lot of what is meant to be communicated. I'm of the opinion that a significant amount of meaning of a song comes from the interaction of the band members, as well as the listener when he/she experiences a given song.
In the previous blog posting, I talked about how one of the things I love most about music is that it is collaborative. More than one person is required to make music happen in a band, especially in a live setting. This is ultimately the reason why Dave Matthews Band is my favorite band. Not only are they phenomenal musicians, but the way they play together is awesome! Some of my favorite parts of songs are not when Dave is singing, but when they are jamming together, doing solos, or changing the dynamics of the song from what was originally recorded. If you look at the faces of the band members, they are smiling at each other, laughing, looking intently at one another as they move and groove to the music. The notes and tones played by the saxophone and the violin set the tone and emotion of nearly all of their songs. I listen to Dave Matthews Band, as well as numerous other groups, because of the interactions happening between the musicians.
I can say that as a musician, there is a unique kind of relationship that is created when you play with people. Some of my best friends are musicians I have played in bands and worship teams with. There is a unique kind of comraderie that comes out of playing music together. It's a bond in which you gain an ability to relate to each other and enjoy each other's company even if you don't really know the person all that well.
Something that has always struck me about music is that it has the potential to break down barriers between people. The most prominent is racial barriers. Perhaps the earliest form of racial reconcilation during the 20th century in America can be seen in jazz music, as white and black band members play together, and build a sense of brotherhood that would not have been possible in any other circumstances. The mutual love of playing music together takes prominence, rather than focusing on differences in color or culture. I have not heard many songs that attempt to tackle racial reconcilation head on in their lyrics. But the occurrence of it is happening on stage when men and women of mixed races play together. That by itself is something powerful!
Now, lots of people, especially teenagers will use the excuse, "I don't listen to the lyrics, I just listen to the beat or the style." I'll admit, I used this when I was in jr. high and high school. That is a very naive excuse. The problem is, if we listen to a song enough times, we'll know the lyrics by heart whether we chose to listen deliberately or not. I do think lyrics are to be taken seriously, but that is not the give-all-end-all for me. A lot of our ability to choose how much lyrics influence us depends more on our walk with Christ than anything else. I find that if I'm obeying like I'm supposed to be, if I'm in the Word regularly, participating in the life of my church, than I'm usually ok. God's given us the ability to think critically about these things, so let's do so.
Another important place to look for meaning in music is the interaction going on between the performer and the listener. Whether in a live setting or listening to music on your cd/ipod in your own time, there is a distinct type of relationship going on between the two parties. If we're listening to a recording, we're inherently performing some kind of act of interpretation. A lot of that has to do with our own emotions and life situation that we bring when we listen to a piece of music. Songs stay with us because we hear them at a certain time in life, or we hear something in them that catch our attention. What's strange is that what we take from a song might be something that the artist never originally intended - but that interpretive experience is still legitimate.
Let me give an example of this. The Columbine High School massacre occurred during my junior year in high school. I've been in California my whole life, and know no one at Columbine High. Yet for some reason, this horrific event struck a chord with me, particularly in how I thought about my faith. I won't go into the details of how or why, but I needed something to help me connect emotionally to this tragedy. What came to me was a Caedmon's Call song called "Center Aisle." The song is originally about Derek Webb's experience after a funeral where a friend's sister committed suicide. Yet this song spoke to me and helped give words to my emotions regarding the Columbine incident. One song, two entirely different situations, and this song created meaning for both events.
One more thing I want to address with this is the idea that meaning in music is found in the culture a genre arises out of, and therefore speaks to that culture by providing words and a vehicle for emotions. Many of the Beatle's songs, by themselves, are just silly love songs. Yet a song like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" isn't really just talking about two young love birds walking down the street holding hands. It speaks more to a youth culture which, beginning roughly in the post World War II era, began to find itself experiencing a world very different from that of the previous generation. And these differences are so stark, that teenagers started to feel isolation, abandonment, alienation, etc. This continues to this day amongst our teenagers. I took a class called "Theology and Pop Music" towards the end of my studies at Fuller Seminary, and he said this. "The principle role that pop music plays is that the music being performed somehow gives an expression to how young people feel and can’t quite articulate." Some of this expression is found in the lyrics, but a significant portion of it is found more profoundly in the interactions of teenagers as they listen to the music they do, the kinds of families they come from, and any number of other elements.
There's lots more that can be said about all of this, and maybe that's best left up for discussion and dialogue among each other. My hope is that we would seek to ask ourselves how and why our music speaks to us the way it does, and why we find some songs "meaningful" and other less so. Now's your chance to comment. Where do you find meaning in music? Why do certain songs or genres speak to you or matter so much to you? As Christians, how can we learn to discern these various sources of meaning so as to better interact with our world? I'm really interested in people's ideas, so please comment.
Now, I don't want to downplay the power of words, because the spoken word does have incredible creative power. The prophets in the Old Testament and Jesus certainly believed that God's word had the power to create and do powerful things (ever notice that most of the miracles Jesus performs are preceeded by a spoken command of some kind?). But when it comes to music, I find that focusing solely on the text of a song misses a lot of what is meant to be communicated. I'm of the opinion that a significant amount of meaning of a song comes from the interaction of the band members, as well as the listener when he/she experiences a given song.
In the previous blog posting, I talked about how one of the things I love most about music is that it is collaborative. More than one person is required to make music happen in a band, especially in a live setting. This is ultimately the reason why Dave Matthews Band is my favorite band. Not only are they phenomenal musicians, but the way they play together is awesome! Some of my favorite parts of songs are not when Dave is singing, but when they are jamming together, doing solos, or changing the dynamics of the song from what was originally recorded. If you look at the faces of the band members, they are smiling at each other, laughing, looking intently at one another as they move and groove to the music. The notes and tones played by the saxophone and the violin set the tone and emotion of nearly all of their songs. I listen to Dave Matthews Band, as well as numerous other groups, because of the interactions happening between the musicians.
I can say that as a musician, there is a unique kind of relationship that is created when you play with people. Some of my best friends are musicians I have played in bands and worship teams with. There is a unique kind of comraderie that comes out of playing music together. It's a bond in which you gain an ability to relate to each other and enjoy each other's company even if you don't really know the person all that well.
Something that has always struck me about music is that it has the potential to break down barriers between people. The most prominent is racial barriers. Perhaps the earliest form of racial reconcilation during the 20th century in America can be seen in jazz music, as white and black band members play together, and build a sense of brotherhood that would not have been possible in any other circumstances. The mutual love of playing music together takes prominence, rather than focusing on differences in color or culture. I have not heard many songs that attempt to tackle racial reconcilation head on in their lyrics. But the occurrence of it is happening on stage when men and women of mixed races play together. That by itself is something powerful!
Now, lots of people, especially teenagers will use the excuse, "I don't listen to the lyrics, I just listen to the beat or the style." I'll admit, I used this when I was in jr. high and high school. That is a very naive excuse. The problem is, if we listen to a song enough times, we'll know the lyrics by heart whether we chose to listen deliberately or not. I do think lyrics are to be taken seriously, but that is not the give-all-end-all for me. A lot of our ability to choose how much lyrics influence us depends more on our walk with Christ than anything else. I find that if I'm obeying like I'm supposed to be, if I'm in the Word regularly, participating in the life of my church, than I'm usually ok. God's given us the ability to think critically about these things, so let's do so.
Another important place to look for meaning in music is the interaction going on between the performer and the listener. Whether in a live setting or listening to music on your cd/ipod in your own time, there is a distinct type of relationship going on between the two parties. If we're listening to a recording, we're inherently performing some kind of act of interpretation. A lot of that has to do with our own emotions and life situation that we bring when we listen to a piece of music. Songs stay with us because we hear them at a certain time in life, or we hear something in them that catch our attention. What's strange is that what we take from a song might be something that the artist never originally intended - but that interpretive experience is still legitimate.
Let me give an example of this. The Columbine High School massacre occurred during my junior year in high school. I've been in California my whole life, and know no one at Columbine High. Yet for some reason, this horrific event struck a chord with me, particularly in how I thought about my faith. I won't go into the details of how or why, but I needed something to help me connect emotionally to this tragedy. What came to me was a Caedmon's Call song called "Center Aisle." The song is originally about Derek Webb's experience after a funeral where a friend's sister committed suicide. Yet this song spoke to me and helped give words to my emotions regarding the Columbine incident. One song, two entirely different situations, and this song created meaning for both events.
One more thing I want to address with this is the idea that meaning in music is found in the culture a genre arises out of, and therefore speaks to that culture by providing words and a vehicle for emotions. Many of the Beatle's songs, by themselves, are just silly love songs. Yet a song like "I Want to Hold Your Hand" isn't really just talking about two young love birds walking down the street holding hands. It speaks more to a youth culture which, beginning roughly in the post World War II era, began to find itself experiencing a world very different from that of the previous generation. And these differences are so stark, that teenagers started to feel isolation, abandonment, alienation, etc. This continues to this day amongst our teenagers. I took a class called "Theology and Pop Music" towards the end of my studies at Fuller Seminary, and he said this. "The principle role that pop music plays is that the music being performed somehow gives an expression to how young people feel and can’t quite articulate." Some of this expression is found in the lyrics, but a significant portion of it is found more profoundly in the interactions of teenagers as they listen to the music they do, the kinds of families they come from, and any number of other elements.
There's lots more that can be said about all of this, and maybe that's best left up for discussion and dialogue among each other. My hope is that we would seek to ask ourselves how and why our music speaks to us the way it does, and why we find some songs "meaningful" and other less so. Now's your chance to comment. Where do you find meaning in music? Why do certain songs or genres speak to you or matter so much to you? As Christians, how can we learn to discern these various sources of meaning so as to better interact with our world? I'm really interested in people's ideas, so please comment.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Music - Part 1: Reflections on Jazz
Lately I've been watching the Ken Burns: Jazz documentary film collection. It's incredibly fascinating! It tracks the developments of jazz music from it's beginnings in New Orleans in the early 1900's through the swing era, bebop, and beyond. I haven't finished the series yet, but I really enjoy it. Anyone who's a fan of music, American history, and good storytelling would love this series. Put it on your netflix queue, you'll love it!
Needless to say I've been thinking about music because of watching these films. Well, more than usual anyways. I'm almost always got music on the brain in one way or another. Something is almost always playing in my head, whether it's a single song, parts of a concert, particular drum beats that I would like to play, and so on. It's almost impossible for me to not tap my feet or my fingers. If I'm sitting at a table, I'll start tapping my fingers or my hands - I can't help it, it's part of me. Heck, I'm listening to a contemporary jazz band called The Yellowjackets right now as I type.
One of the major things I love about music (jazz in particular) is it's corporate nature. I love the interaction that happens between the musicians when they're performing. It's a kind of communication that doesn't require words, and relies on a different kind of body language than when you're sitting and having dinner with friends and family. It's all about watching each other, reading each other, finding that groove TOGETHER. It's also about encouraging each other, laughing, and creating excitement and passion TOGETHER. I do not believe music is meant to be an individual enterprise. I may be a good drummer, but that only really comes out when I'm playing with other people, and we're challenging each other, encouraging each other, and so on. Early in the Jazz documentary, Wynton Marsalis (famous trumpet player) talks about how he can go play at a club in a particular city, work with a few guys and start playing without much preparation or hashing over details. He says that when they're playing together, "now we can have a conversation. Now we're having a dialogue."
I think these are important lessons that we as Christians need to learn as we live out our faith as the Church. In his book Border Crossings, Rodney Clapp has a chapter in which he explains that jazz can be a source of instruction for our churches. At a jazz club, there's interaction going on between the band and the audience. The audience applauds each soloist as he/she ends her solo section, sometimes shouting out exhortations and encouragement to the player in the midst of the solo. "Go man go!" "Bring it home!" "Yeah, you got it, keep it coming baby!" What if we found ways of applying this form of encouragement in our churches? We all have spiritual gifts that God has given to us. We bring those gifts, talents, sacrifices, and what not to Him in worship when we gather together on Sundays and at various functions throughout the week. When someone from our community is "performing," in his/her natural giftedness, whatever that may be, we need to be shouting "YEAH! That's awesome! Go, go, go!" On the one hand, it's recognizing individual achievement, but on a bigger level it's us coming together as a community and recognizing the beautiful work that God is doing in one of our own. Some people obviously get more attention or notoriety when that happens, unfortunately (let's be honest, it's really rare to hear a bass trombone solo; although, I have heard it once!). But even when that happens, I think we're all able to recognize how we're contributing to the whole project of being God's people coming together in worship, and do so joyfully.
This corporate nature of worship is really why I love music, and being able to play music. I love playing in worship bands, and I love being able to interact with them while we're playing. One of my pet peeves is when I'm trying to look at the other band members, and their faces are buried in the music. Ok, on the one hand it's good that they're tracking with the music, making sure they're playing the right thing. But when I see that, I almost want to shout out, "Hey man, just feel it with me! Work with me! Let's get this in the pocket!" I love being able to watch the other musicians and smile and laugh with them while playing. The best part about it is, IT'S WORSHIP! It pleases God because we're doing it out of our love for Him, in response to the work that He has done in us, and we're bringing our best to the table. I would love for the chance to be able to play in a jazz group sometime in the future, or a rock band, or something. But I'd also be just as happy if I all ever did was play in worship bands for the rest of my life. I just hope that others are encouraged by it, that it helps inspire them to worship, not because I'm all that great of a player (although I do take my craft seriously and have found a level of confidence in it that I never had before), but because I'm just like anyone else bringing their gifts of worship to God amidst a worshipping community.
I would love any comments, questions, or to hear anyone else's ideas about this.
Needless to say I've been thinking about music because of watching these films. Well, more than usual anyways. I'm almost always got music on the brain in one way or another. Something is almost always playing in my head, whether it's a single song, parts of a concert, particular drum beats that I would like to play, and so on. It's almost impossible for me to not tap my feet or my fingers. If I'm sitting at a table, I'll start tapping my fingers or my hands - I can't help it, it's part of me. Heck, I'm listening to a contemporary jazz band called The Yellowjackets right now as I type.
One of the major things I love about music (jazz in particular) is it's corporate nature. I love the interaction that happens between the musicians when they're performing. It's a kind of communication that doesn't require words, and relies on a different kind of body language than when you're sitting and having dinner with friends and family. It's all about watching each other, reading each other, finding that groove TOGETHER. It's also about encouraging each other, laughing, and creating excitement and passion TOGETHER. I do not believe music is meant to be an individual enterprise. I may be a good drummer, but that only really comes out when I'm playing with other people, and we're challenging each other, encouraging each other, and so on. Early in the Jazz documentary, Wynton Marsalis (famous trumpet player) talks about how he can go play at a club in a particular city, work with a few guys and start playing without much preparation or hashing over details. He says that when they're playing together, "now we can have a conversation. Now we're having a dialogue."
I think these are important lessons that we as Christians need to learn as we live out our faith as the Church. In his book Border Crossings, Rodney Clapp has a chapter in which he explains that jazz can be a source of instruction for our churches. At a jazz club, there's interaction going on between the band and the audience. The audience applauds each soloist as he/she ends her solo section, sometimes shouting out exhortations and encouragement to the player in the midst of the solo. "Go man go!" "Bring it home!" "Yeah, you got it, keep it coming baby!" What if we found ways of applying this form of encouragement in our churches? We all have spiritual gifts that God has given to us. We bring those gifts, talents, sacrifices, and what not to Him in worship when we gather together on Sundays and at various functions throughout the week. When someone from our community is "performing," in his/her natural giftedness, whatever that may be, we need to be shouting "YEAH! That's awesome! Go, go, go!" On the one hand, it's recognizing individual achievement, but on a bigger level it's us coming together as a community and recognizing the beautiful work that God is doing in one of our own. Some people obviously get more attention or notoriety when that happens, unfortunately (let's be honest, it's really rare to hear a bass trombone solo; although, I have heard it once!). But even when that happens, I think we're all able to recognize how we're contributing to the whole project of being God's people coming together in worship, and do so joyfully.
This corporate nature of worship is really why I love music, and being able to play music. I love playing in worship bands, and I love being able to interact with them while we're playing. One of my pet peeves is when I'm trying to look at the other band members, and their faces are buried in the music. Ok, on the one hand it's good that they're tracking with the music, making sure they're playing the right thing. But when I see that, I almost want to shout out, "Hey man, just feel it with me! Work with me! Let's get this in the pocket!" I love being able to watch the other musicians and smile and laugh with them while playing. The best part about it is, IT'S WORSHIP! It pleases God because we're doing it out of our love for Him, in response to the work that He has done in us, and we're bringing our best to the table. I would love for the chance to be able to play in a jazz group sometime in the future, or a rock band, or something. But I'd also be just as happy if I all ever did was play in worship bands for the rest of my life. I just hope that others are encouraged by it, that it helps inspire them to worship, not because I'm all that great of a player (although I do take my craft seriously and have found a level of confidence in it that I never had before), but because I'm just like anyone else bringing their gifts of worship to God amidst a worshipping community.
I would love any comments, questions, or to hear anyone else's ideas about this.
First Blog
As I'm sure is the case with almost everyone when the start blogging, I begin by saying, "This whole blogging thing is pretty new to me, so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it." I did some blog posts about a year and half ago for a class of mine, but did not really keep it up after the class was over. I've posted one or two things on myspace back a few years ago, but I stopped using myspace some time since then. I now use facebook quite regularly, but have not made any endeavors to post any notes or topics or particular things other than really basic information about myself.
So why start now? There's a number of reasons why I feel like now would be a good time to begin blogging regularly.
1) For probably the first time in my life, I feel like I have lots of time on my hands. I have always been busy with school and ministry stuff. I finished my master's of divinity degree at Fuller Seminary this last summer, and have since been looking for work as a youth pastor. My life is very much in transition, relying and waiting on God to open things up in my life for me to move forward. I don't know what's next, and I haven't known for some time. In the meantime, I am doing what I can in terms of searching for work responsibly, maintaining a level of involvment at my church, and trying to keep some kind of regular pace to my life.
2) I like to write. While the rigors of writing numerous papers in college and in seminary were often intense, I found that I actually enjoyed the writing process. I found that so long as I paced myself well, was confident in my research and ideas, and could organize everything before I started writing, I would enjoy the work. Obviously I did this with mixed success, some assignments better than others. Yet I knew that with each paper I was reliant upon God's power and influence to write something that would glorify him and accomplish the task for the given class. Having finished my seminary degree, I've needed to find other creative outlets. I have made attempts at writing out ideas and screenplays for movies that I would love to see, but will probably never be made (I have never aspired to be a screenplay writer, and still don't feel like I have a lot of ideas, so this still isn't really a goal of mine). Writing story and screenplay ideas is more of a creative outlet for me rather than for lots of people to see. That being said, blogging would be a similar outlet. Heck, maybe I'll even post excerpts of things I've written on here. We'll see if I am so moved.
3) Reading other people's blog posts have made me want to share my own thoughts and ideas. Everyone has a different take on things in life, so if a number of people I know are doing so, there's no reason why I can't take a crack at it.
So, what can you and I expect to see on this blog thing? Here are some of the ideas I've been thinking about writing on.
1) A series of reflections on music. I'm a musician, so naturally I love to listen to music, play it, watch it, read about it, etc. I often think about music and faith, the idea of being inspired by music, what I value and love about music, where meaning in music is found, and anything related to any of this. I'm thinking of a series of postings, so we'll see how it all comes together.
2) Thoughts on church and culture, living out a Christian life, what God is showing me when I'm reading scripture, so on.
3) My own "apologetic." In other words, why I'm a Christian. Not so much my testimony per se (although that will surely be part of the explanation), but more of a reason why I believe in Jesus and have tried to be faithful over the course of my life. In the sermons the pastor at my church gives he frequently utilizes a lot of apologetics and logical reasoning, giving "proofs" and validity to believing in the Christian faith (i.e. stuff from Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, scientific evidence that points to a creator, etc). I like that stuff, and I find it encouraging and useful, but for me it's not really getting to the core of why I follow Jesus.
4) Maybe some of my book reviews or papers from seminary. At this point, anything else that strikes my fancy to write about will get up on here. I recently heard bishop N.T. Wright speak at Lake Avenue Church a couple of weeks ago, so I might write something about that. Also probably some reflections from my time at Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Seminary. I'm also reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love so maybe I'll post a few ideas from that.
If you're still reading after all this time, good for you! Hopefully you're interested in what I'm thinking of putting on here. I'm a very detail-oriented person, so I tend to write more extensively than shorter. I guess we'll see how this turns out!
So why start now? There's a number of reasons why I feel like now would be a good time to begin blogging regularly.
1) For probably the first time in my life, I feel like I have lots of time on my hands. I have always been busy with school and ministry stuff. I finished my master's of divinity degree at Fuller Seminary this last summer, and have since been looking for work as a youth pastor. My life is very much in transition, relying and waiting on God to open things up in my life for me to move forward. I don't know what's next, and I haven't known for some time. In the meantime, I am doing what I can in terms of searching for work responsibly, maintaining a level of involvment at my church, and trying to keep some kind of regular pace to my life.
2) I like to write. While the rigors of writing numerous papers in college and in seminary were often intense, I found that I actually enjoyed the writing process. I found that so long as I paced myself well, was confident in my research and ideas, and could organize everything before I started writing, I would enjoy the work. Obviously I did this with mixed success, some assignments better than others. Yet I knew that with each paper I was reliant upon God's power and influence to write something that would glorify him and accomplish the task for the given class. Having finished my seminary degree, I've needed to find other creative outlets. I have made attempts at writing out ideas and screenplays for movies that I would love to see, but will probably never be made (I have never aspired to be a screenplay writer, and still don't feel like I have a lot of ideas, so this still isn't really a goal of mine). Writing story and screenplay ideas is more of a creative outlet for me rather than for lots of people to see. That being said, blogging would be a similar outlet. Heck, maybe I'll even post excerpts of things I've written on here. We'll see if I am so moved.
3) Reading other people's blog posts have made me want to share my own thoughts and ideas. Everyone has a different take on things in life, so if a number of people I know are doing so, there's no reason why I can't take a crack at it.
So, what can you and I expect to see on this blog thing? Here are some of the ideas I've been thinking about writing on.
1) A series of reflections on music. I'm a musician, so naturally I love to listen to music, play it, watch it, read about it, etc. I often think about music and faith, the idea of being inspired by music, what I value and love about music, where meaning in music is found, and anything related to any of this. I'm thinking of a series of postings, so we'll see how it all comes together.
2) Thoughts on church and culture, living out a Christian life, what God is showing me when I'm reading scripture, so on.
3) My own "apologetic." In other words, why I'm a Christian. Not so much my testimony per se (although that will surely be part of the explanation), but more of a reason why I believe in Jesus and have tried to be faithful over the course of my life. In the sermons the pastor at my church gives he frequently utilizes a lot of apologetics and logical reasoning, giving "proofs" and validity to believing in the Christian faith (i.e. stuff from Lee Strobel, Josh McDowell, scientific evidence that points to a creator, etc). I like that stuff, and I find it encouraging and useful, but for me it's not really getting to the core of why I follow Jesus.
4) Maybe some of my book reviews or papers from seminary. At this point, anything else that strikes my fancy to write about will get up on here. I recently heard bishop N.T. Wright speak at Lake Avenue Church a couple of weeks ago, so I might write something about that. Also probably some reflections from my time at Azusa Pacific University and Fuller Seminary. I'm also reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love so maybe I'll post a few ideas from that.
If you're still reading after all this time, good for you! Hopefully you're interested in what I'm thinking of putting on here. I'm a very detail-oriented person, so I tend to write more extensively than shorter. I guess we'll see how this turns out!
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