music is important to me. it wasn’t very long ago that playing my guitar and leading singing and helping people (especially kids) learn to go deeper in their awareness of the presence of god through music was something that characterized my life. i miss those days.
but music is still important to me.
back in the early 80’s, i was introduced to music of rich mullins. his music and lyrics challenged and sustained me during some really difficult times. his theology stretched my thinking and impacted my lifestyle. the depth of his understanding of god and the kingdom was profound.
he died an untimely death. our loss was beyond words at the time. it’s still pretty much beyond my words.
anyway, i thought i’d share a few of his songs with you. his music was simple. it never topped the charts. it wouldn’t today. but his lyrics…
If I Stand
There’s more that rises in the morning than the sun
And more that shines in the night than just the moon
It’s more than just this fire here that keeps me warm
In a shelter that is larger than this room
And there’s a loyalty that’s deeper than mere sentiments
And a music higher than the songs that I can sing
The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance
I owe only to the Giver of all good things
So if I stand let me stand on the promise
That you will pull me through
And if I can’t, let me fall on the grace
That first brought me to You
And if I sing let me sing for the joy
That has born in me these songs
And if I weep let it be as a man
Who is longing for his home
There’s more that dances on the prairies than the wind
More that pulses in the ocean than the tide
There’s a love that is fiercer than the love between friends
More gentle than a mother’s when her baby’s at her side
i think i’ll give you some more insight into rich mullins tomorrow…
in honor of this being “U2″ week on letterman, i thought i would list my five most favorite tunes from this amazing band. they may not be on your radar as music-makers, but they definitely revolutionized my taste in music back in the day.
if you don’t know some of the songs, you can check them out on youtube. it would be worth your while…
the years have flown by. it’s hard to believe that u2 formed in 1976 and these guys are all almost 50 years old! for me, they were the most influential band of the 80’s. they had more impact on the rise of christian rock (the good stuff) than any band of that era.
i can remember the bands that rocked our youth ministry in the 80’s…lifesavers…altar boys…common ground…77s…daniel amos…the choir…undercover…these were all bands that found their definition in the style of u2.
i’m always pretty much trashing the music of the 80’s, but that’s not entirely the way i feel. u2, with it’s style and texture and heart…not to mention the pure genius of the the edge on guitar…the simple, but brilliantly perfect rythmn and bass…and the unmatched passion of bono’s singing…they will always be one of greatest bands of all time and in my personal top five.
evidence of their greatness? they stay great. if you have not been watching them on letterman this week, shame on you. they are playing all five nights. if you can’t make yourself stay up, or it’s against your religion to record good rock and roll to be savored later, here’s a youtube of last night’s performance. plug it in to some good speakers and and get ready to rock…
i read these words today (quoted by todd rhoades from “monday morning insight”):
“If you expect people to come to church just to hear your music, you’ll be disappointed. If they want to hear music, they’ll pop in a CD. It’s better quality than you can do.
The unchurched will not crawl out of bed to watch your drama. They can get a lot better drama on television by watching a rerun of Seinfeld or Friends or whatever show is hot today.
If they want to sit around tables and talk, they’ll go to Starbucks…
Present God’s Word in a clear, compelling way with a deliberate sensitivity to those you’re trying to reach, because the Word of God alone has the power to bring people to Christ and keep them there.”
(from “The Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Churches” by Ron Gladden)
this was a good reminder for me. it’s an overwhelming and humbling thought to realize that the word of god…alone…has power to bring and keep people. i think it’s pretty easy to get into the trap of trying to come up with “cool” stuff…like music or coffee or visuals or programs…just to attract people. dangerous.
i learned a principle years ago in my early days of youth ministry. it goes something like this:
“what you win them with, is what you win them to.”
i think that is more true today than it was thirty years ago.
i thought i would finish up this “top five” discussion on music at north point with one more list.
i’ve spent over 36 years of my life with a guitar, leading kids in worship. sometimes with a band, but most of those years it was just me. that was the way we rolled back in the day.
in the past year or two, since my guitar has been sitting on a stand and collecting dust, i don’t talk much about how much i miss teaching kids how to sing as part of their worship experience. yeah, i miss it a lot. but that’s for another post on another day…
i really believe that if the day were to ever come when my friends at north point had to tell me to go find a new day job, i think i’ve got a plan. i’ve told logan’s dad (he’s a famous preacher in memphis) that he might have to hire me to be his kid’s worship song leader…since that job is already secured at np by pastor mitch!
anyway, all this thinking has caused me to reminisce about some cool fun songs we have sung with kids through the years. i love to have fun going to ball games and going out to eat with friends and bowling and playing kickball in the auditorium and i think there is room in god’s economy for having fun when we sing (as long as it is full of truth and the fun never turns to disrespect of the holiness of god…a fine line with kids, sometimes!).
here are some of my favorite fun songs that we have done through the years:
Big House
Undignified
So Good To Me
King Jesus
Mercy is Falling
Celebrate Jesus
His Banner Over Me
Where Do I Go?
but here is my top five…
5. The Happy Song - by Martin Smith and Delirious (crazy fun song…i really miss doing this song!)
4. Shut De Do - by Randy Stonehill (island song that’s been around about thrity years…)
3. Your Everlasting Love - by Brian Sites (highest “high energy” song we ever did with the youth group…pushed the limit of respect, tho.)
2. No One Like You - by Crowder (my absolute favorite crowder song to lead…and sing…with kids)
1. When I Think About You - by Jeff Moody (for all the joking we have done at his expense through the years, this song was not only a homerun, it was a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth! this was the signature song of our youth ministry in the early years…the first fun song of real substance that layed the foundation for what music at np has become today!)
how about you? do you have any memories of fun songs we have done…or currently do?
it has been pretty fun for me to think back over the past thirteen years here at north point and consider all the different songs we have used in our worship experience. i don’t think for a moment that singing is the only way we worship the creator, nor do i believe that it is nearly the most important…but it is a significant part of it…especially the way we do it here!
on the past two fridays, i’ve list both my favorite high energy songs and my favorite mid-tempo songs. both serve a purpose for me, though my love for loud, explosive songs of praise will not be denied!
today, i’m going to list my favorite slow, contemplative music. there are critics who say that our use of music in worship is manipulative and contrived. don’t get defensive. it is…sometimes. there is something about music that moves emotions and stirs my heart. my feelings are touched, my mind is stimulated, my body reacts, my will is challenged. it’s potentially powerful.
when that music is offered to god, it can be all of that and more. here are some of my favorite slower songs that didn’t make my top five:
Oh How He Loves Me
We Enter In
Come Home Running
Psalm 9
Come Ye Sinners
Still
The Old Rugged Cross
Blessing
Lord You Have My Heart
By The Grace of the Lamb
these are all awesome songs…some we haven’t sung in years…but i will never forget them. they are permanently part of who i am. so…here’s my top five:
5. Word of God Speak - by Mercy Me (short, simple, powerful)
4. He Knows My Name - by Tommy Walker (i found this song years ago on a calvary chapel worship cd called “dry bones dancing”…i’ve never heard anybody sing it except north point!)
3. You Are My King - by Chris Tomlin (one of tomlin’s earliest songs…before anybody knew who he was…i don’t normally like the whole “repetitive” thing that goes on in a lot of worship circles…singing the same chorus over and over and over again…but this is one song that always leaves me wanting to sing it one more time)
2. It is Well With My Soul - by Horatio Spafford and Philip Bliss (maybe the most famous and well known hymn ever…you should do a search and read the story behind the song, if you don’t know it…i like the up-tempo way we do it at north point, but i miss the majesty and power and richness of it’s original ballad form. there is nothing like it!)
1. This Road – by Jars of Clay (this song was penned for “voice of the martyrs” and the international day of prayer for the persecuted church six or seven years ago. i cannot sing it without experiencing polar opposite emotions…radical identification with fellow believers who worship in the most severe conditions of human suffereing…and the absolute wonder that god allows me to experience the life i have).
there you have it. what about you? is there a slower song that moves you that’s not on my list?
last friday i listed my top five high energy songs we do at north point. truth is, if all we ever sang were songs that were loud and powerful and rocked, i would be a happy guy. it’s probably good i don’t plan the worship services anymore!
in spite of my personal preference for explosion, i still do have a whole list of mid-tempo songs that move me. here are some of my favorites that didn’t make my top five (in no particular order):
He Was There
Wholly Yours
O For a Thousand Tongues
Better is One Day
Step By Step
I Commit To You My Life
Blessed Assurance
Open The Eyes of My Heart
Take My Life
I Could Sing of Your Love Forever
those are all great songs…some of them you’ve probably never heard of, but we used to do them here and they were part of the foundation of our worship personality that has been forged through our years together. so here’s my top five mid-tempo songs we do at north point:
5. Love is Here – by Tenth Avenue North (awesome new song we are doing these days)
4. Give Us Clean Hands - by Charlie Hall (best single musical moment in any song we do…)
3. Enough - by Chris Tomlin (my second favorite tomlin song)
2. Remedy - by Crowder (this song gave me a whole new perspective on the atonement)
1. Breathe Deep – by the Lost Dogs
you may be surprised by my number one, but this is one song that god used to completely re-orient my life as a follower of christ. it’s a long story. maybe i’ll share it someday. it was a song we used in youth ministry from the moment i arrived in 1995. maybe i’ll ask buzzy if i can lead it again someday for posterity…
if you’ve never heard it, here’s a video you can watch…they’re pretty crazy lyrics. the lost dogs are a group of legendary rockers from the earliest days of christian rock and punk. here’s their official website…you might want to check it out: the lost dogs. hope you like it all!
love the songs we sing at north point. i love the variety. i love the power. i love the volume. i pretty much can’t wait to show up on sunday mornings just to sing. we do high energy songs. we do some amazing mid-tempo songs that start slow and quiet and build. we do slower, more contemplative songs. all of them designed to lead us to a deeper and more profound experience in the presence of an awesome god.
here are some of my very favorite high energy songs we do that didn’t make my top five:
Our Love is Loud
My Glorious
All Creation
Today is the Day
Let God Arise
Forever
The Quest
so here’s my top five high energy songs we do:
5. Blessed Be Your Name - Matt Redman (there is no song we sing with more passion)
4. Not To Us - Chris Tomlin (“the universe spinning and singing…it’s all for you”…as good as it gets!)
3. Everyday - Joel Houston (even though we don’t sing it very often)
2. All Because of Jesus - Steve Fee (we could sing this every sunday, as far as i’m concerned)
1. Singer’s Song - Martin Smith of Delirious (best music memory of my thirteen years in texas)
those are mine. what songs would you add? (you don’t have to add five!)
i was just doing some online reading tonight during this bizarre cardinals-panthers game and i came across a post by one of the most popular, innovative and respected big guns in the mega-church club (i’m not part of the club…i just sneak looks into their online clubhouses when they’re not looking).
it wasn’t a quote or a lesson or even the content that seemed odd to me. it was simply the title, the future of worship. what do mean, the future of worship?
we could talk about the future of…bi-partisan politics…or global warming…or the metal baseball bat…or plasma televisions…or cross-cultural relations in texas…or eschatological predictions in the 21st century…or any number of other issues that change or morph or develop or grow from one stage to another. but worship? the future of worship? really…
worship doesn’t change. it is. that’s it. it’s the essence of relationship between the creator and created. it’s life. it’s breath. it’s me offering my life to the holy one. it’s where i walk and what i say and what i think and how i give. there’s no future to it. it doesn’t have a timeline. unless you consider eternity measurable.
for the record, the guy makes worship and music synonymous. bad call. but that’s the church culture he lives in.
this morning in my sermon i’m going to preach from a parable of jesus where he talks about the ten virgins (or bridesmaids). the story is a simple one. half of the bridesmaids had enough oil to keep their torches burning as they waited for the groom to come…the other half didn’t and their torches burnt out. because they were out trying to buy more oil, they missed the groom’s entrance and, thus, missed the wedding ceremony also.
i guess you’ll just have to be there this morning if you want to get the application. that’s not the point of this post, tho.
growing up in the church, i was one of those rebellious youth who thought that everything needed to change. i was a teenager when rock and roll music began to flex it’s muscle in the music of the church. boy, was i a happy guy! out with the organ! in with the guitars! out with the hymns! in with cool songs! out with the ancient! in with the modern! ”things are going to change now”, was our cry.
our new music was going to stir the soul. our new music was going to lift hearts and change lives. it’s power was going pierce people to the core. we were never going to be the same.
today, buzzy is going to sing one of the new songs that was the clarion call of a new generation.
i’m pumped.
…and anxious to see if you are as moved by it today as i was in 1967.
can’t wait to hear your comments.
(if you’re not at north point this sunday, i’ll let you in on it in a day or two…)
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
the years have flown by. it’s hard to believe that u2 formed in 1976 and these guys are all almost 50 years old! for me, they were the most influential band of the 80’s. they had more impact on the rise of christian rock (the good stuff) than any band of that era.
I am a husband, a dad, a spankin' new grandpa (big papi), a pastor, a teacher, a fellow-wanderer, a baseball junkie, a lover of 24, waffles, the first day of fall , loud music, kids, play, the grace of God, and St. Augustine grass!
