Many Parts of one Body! Do we really honestly believe this?

I've taken a very long long break from blogging. But I have been getting the itch and that doesn't mean I really stopped thinking about stuff to blog, just haven't gotten them down. Welcome back me!

If you've not been subjected to my writing, know that it is ranty. It isn't out there to please. You don't have to agree with it as I don't feel the need to agree with you. It is often incomplete and the ideas are just ideas (my ideas, which shouldn't be associated with anyone else around me, like my employer or my church), which are still open for molding. It is not polished, publishable writing.

Ok, on with it. Today we heard a good sermon at our church's weekly gathering about the many parts of the body of Christ. All that stuff about how hands are different from, eyes and livers, etc etc etc--but that they are all necessary.

This is a good illustration from scripture. I think it does capture some of the nuances of life among a community of people who follow Christ. I don't know if people really grasp the extent of it though.

I think this is often understood like this

1) You have a unique gift, so use it to build God's kingdom through the church.

2) You need to understand that other people's gifts are important.

I think those are both right, but it just seems that we fall so short. We are so good, in the Church, at saying these things and I really not believing them or maybe understanding the depth that this metaphor can have in a number of ways:

1) Not only are there different parts of the body, but differences between two instances of the same part. Just as two hands don't look the same as each other, people often have different ways of serving. However, in the Church we often look for certain types of gifting in people. Certain types of speakers are invited to speak, certain types of worshippers are invited to lead worship.

2) Some parts of our body are there to bring disharmony to our bodies. Our nervous system often sends very painful signals to other parts of our body because it doesn't like the state that the body is currently in. Many churches don't like to hear hard things and change course. Just as it is vitally important that our nervous system sends pain to our hands or that our ears tell our feet move out of the way, there needs to be people who bring up the 'not positive things' in the church. Most church communities just won't have that. They would rather take an asprin to shut up the nervous system rather than move their hand off the burner.

Incidentally, this is one area where I feel the most out of place in the many church bodies I've been a part of. I do enjoy and feel gifted in thinking and feeling things from different points of view. I enjoy finding holes in ideas, try to look out for people who are under served and I try to say them with as much love as possible. People don't like that though and will often take a pill to disarm the pain (usually by saying something about unity or love).

3) Even though it is important that the many parts communicate and work together, an eye knows nothing about how a hand works. Taking item 1) a bit further, you can also say that a hand shaped this way doesn't fully understand the strengths and limitations that a different shaped or sized hand may have.

I call this issue in the church "On Who's Terms?" So often, in the Church, certain parts dictate how other parts should be doing their jobs, but don't really understand how those parts work best. I think to best use peoples' gifts, though, we need to ask them how they can best do their jobs (and give them the space, tools and power that they need). A hand may want to include a foot because the bible tells them that feet are important, but if the hand only gives them jobs or contexts that hands do well, the feet are not going to do their best work. They'll be able to slog through, and it will be fun and exiting for a while, but they'll get really tired.

An example of this is visual artists. We want to include them in our worship, but we always try to have them serve on someone else's terms (usually the band). So visual artists get relegated to powerpoint backgrounds or painting a picture to a song--they are asked to serve, but only if they can do it within the music team's context. Problem is that many don't work in a medium or have the specific skills that it takes to do these things.

We need to be asking how we can empower each of the parts to do their work the best. In many cases this is going to mean that the other parts don’t get everything they want. Even if the eyes really like to look at something, in order for the feet to work well, they eyes need to allow the feet to carry them to a different place.

4) In order for some parts to work best, other parts have humble themselves. The human body equivalent is the relationship between the hands and our excretory system. Some parts of the body, when working well cause a great deal of mess for other parts to take care of. (this is kind of like #2 above, but seems different enough to include as a separate item--and is a nice pun)

There are parts of the body that are really important, but not much fun to have to deal with. A part of the Church that exposes people to ugliness often requires the help of people who are good at processing and comforting. However, in many of these situations, other parts of the body simply asks that person to stop doing its job. It would be really bad if our bodies worked that way.

Personally, I know what many of these feel like. No matter how much people say you are valuable in the Church, it really doesn't mean anything unless they help you do what you do best. So be on the look out for that. It is going to be really hard for you because you are selfish, as am I, and we both think we know the whole picture-but we really don't...

Mike

God Speaks through...Performance Art?

Let's start this with a wikipedia quote so that we are clear on what I'm talking about:

"Performance art is art in which the actions of an individual or a group at
a particular place and in a particular time constitute the work. It can happen anywhere, at any time, or for any length of time. Performance art can be any situation that involves four basic elements: time, space, the performer's body and a relationship between performer and audience.

Although performance art could be said to include relatively mainstream activities such as theater, dance, music, and circus-related things like fire breathing, juggling, and gymnastics, these are normally instead known as the performing arts. Performance art is a term usually reserved to refer to a kind of usually avant-garde or conceptual art which grew out of the visual arts."

Ok, so, I have not really experienced much performance art. My exposure is generally limited to the guy that walks around Madison naming all the countries of the world wishing them peace. Of course I hear about more extreme forms of this (mostly on This American Life). One story is of a performance artist that tied a chicken to his leg and tried to chop it's head off, the other that set off 100 aerosol cans at once or the guy that shot himself in the arm--in the name of art and getting some [abstract] point across.

Often people in the church are afraid of art (except serene images of waterfalls backing bland and narcissitic worship music slides). I could imagine that even more Christians would be afraid of many of the people and performances that make up the performance art world. Even the performing arts are misunderstood if they are at all extreme or if there is any hint of abstraction.

I bet most would be apalled to know that there is a performance art in the Bible... Pretty wierd and extreme stuff, actually. Wierd, extreme, even scandalous stuff commissioned and created by God and performed by the prophets.

How about Hosea? God told him to marry a prostitue, have children and name them "No-mercy" and "Nobody" That's more extreme than tying a chicken to your leg.

Or how about Ezekiel? While laying on his side for a year, shaving with a sword, attacking a brick (named Jerusalem) and "burning it down" with his hair, all while cooking a predetermined amount of food on cow poop (which God originally said to use human poop). That is certainly more extreme, and gross, than setting off 100 aerosol cans in an enclosed room.

I think it is so cool how God uses and ordains art, even extreme, wierd and ugly forms of art. This stuff is far-cry from iWorship videos and prints of sunsets with Bible verses printed on them. How could God speak to us if we embraced even the most eccentric artists, loved them with Christ's love (instead of being afraid of them) and set them loose in the church? Oh and by setting them loose, I don't mean getting them to make the PowerPoint background.

Hmmmm.
Mike

Fair Weather Wisconsin

Gonna start this one out with a weather definition from http://www.weather.com/

FAIR: This is a subjective description. Considered as pleasant weather conditions with regard to the time of year and the physical location.

So I see this today on my browser's homepage:

I really love living in a place where -10 degrees is considered pleasant. Really, I do.

Mike

Some Solutions...

The solutions.

Ok, so there has finally been some traffic to my blog lately. I am happy when people come and question me on things that I've written. I'm working through this and don't have the answers. Maybe in a year I will go through and change my mind completely on the things I write lately.

Anyway, one of the pastors at my church, Ryan, made the comment that I didn't give any solutions. Being one that doesn't just want to complain and argue, I have thought of a few solutions (some are just ideas, but some I feel pretty strongly about--I'm not going to tell which) to some of the problems of worship that I have outlined in this blog. Oh Yeah, these aren't comprehensive or perfect, but they are ideas.

Solution #1: Don't assume that musicians are qualified worship leaders just because they are musicians. Somebody that is up front needs to truly be investigating and learning and deepening their understanding of worship. Just because you find out that they play piano, doesn't mean they can lead a group of people in worship.

Solution #2: Don't assume that the only people qualified to lead worship ministries are musicians. I really, truly, believe that we would have a much fuller view and practice of corporate worship if that aspect of our communities were overseen by someone outside of the musical world. That isn't to say that this would end music, this person would need to view the musicians and their craft as a way (perhaps a really good way) to worship. Having someone on the outside, though, would bring a perspective that defines good worship as that which glorifies God, rather than that which sounds good and flows well. This person would also be more able to look beyond music and see other possible ways that the church can be encouraged to praise their God.

Solution #3: If you have one worship team, include more than musicians on that team. At very least the technical people should be considered part of the worship team (with as much input as any musician on the worship team) But, more fully, the worship team should include all kinds of people. Musicians, artists, creative people, thinkers, feelers, pastors. Since worship is something that everyone does, then everyone probably has something to offer a corporate worship service. The thinkers will get the team to think about what they are doing. The creative people will stretch the boundaries. The musicians will think musically. The visual artists will think visually. The interior designers will think about the space and what that means for worship. The pastors will care for people on the team and keep the worship theologically centered. The technicians will also have ideas and will feel like they are a part of the team and not just supporting the team. I think I made the point.

Solution #4: Eventually turn one worship team into many worship teams. Consider having most people in the church be involved with one worship team. If our corporate worship is a celebration of what God is doing in our lives and as a community, then shouldn't we all have an opportunity to share that? When we expand our worship ministry beyond one or two teams of people that 'produce' worship for the church, we begin to own it, respect it and it allows the diversity of people and fullness of what God is doing come out in our worship service.

Ok, so I'm not necessarily saying that everyon has the gifts or desire of being up front and doing the actual leading (that would negate Solution #1). But I am talking about people learning and contributing together to create a worship gathering that is unique and owned by the community. At the same time, I'd still pick a whole bunch of imperfect worship leaders over one good worship leader...

Solution #5: Musicians, step out of the limelight. In order to value other people, styles and forms, you have to make room for those people. Just like people of a majority ethnicity need to put aside some of their rights to allow a minority ethnicity to flourish, musicians (because you are the norm) need to put aside your rights and preferences, even before you are asked to, so that the ones who are considered 'lesser' with regards to worship have a place to step into.

We promise to not kick you out of the church. We really do love you and what you do. We just want to be able to use our gifts to help others appreciate our God and Saviour too.

Solution #6: Read 'Emerging Worship' by Dan Kimball. I know that it seems that the notion of the Emerging Church has largely been pushed aside, but I think Dan really explores this topic well, with a sense of experience, reality and balance--more than anyone else I've seen. And yes, his church still uses music.

Solution #7: Read these articles:
http://www.reality.org.nz/articles/46/46-pierson.php
http://www.reality.org.nz/articles/48/48-pierson.php

I don't know that much about the author and he certainly is more of a radical than Kimball. But he also has some interesting ideas.

Solution #8: Read anything by Dr. Robert Webber. It will help you to appreciate the 2000 years of really deep, amazing stuff that we like to ignore in the young evangelical church in the name of being 'cool'. I'm not saying that it is all good, but more of it is good than is not.

Solution #9: Find an article about the Taize community in France and know that people (young people) journey from all over the world to worship with them. When was the last time someone made a pilgrimage across the world so that they could worship at your church? Something to think about…

I'm sure I'll think of more…
Mike

Dignity in the Church

My friend Joe and I were talking today. When we talk, we usually talk about worship and music and all the things I typically rant about. We had a good talk today and throughout our 4 hour conversation, he helped me to move my rant about the problems artists (or anyone different) face in the church, from something abstract into something much more tangible.

The problem that non-musical artist's face in the church, is one of dignity. Within the realm of the church, they have no dignity. They are given jobs, occasionally, but not ones that empower them and give them dignity…

Ok so that's kind of abstract, still. After going around and not really understanding each other, we finally reached a common ground, when we compared church to economy/government. It actually turned into a worthwhile conversation about poverty and capitalism also, and the parallels helped us to both understand issues in the church and in the streets. We were able to see that the needs of any oppressed group are the same.

Caring for the poor.
In an ideal capitalist society everyone has a fair chance to make it in life. The American dream was about people with nothing coming here and making a new, better, richer life for themselves. This is a nice idea and really a decent system--on the surface.

However, it makes it really hard to talk about poverty in this context. It is assumed (by the rich) that all those people need to do is have a little determination to "pick themselves up by the bootstraps" and move forward. People who don't do that are just lazy, according to the rich. It is quite convenient for us to think this way.

So then, why do people, in the richest nation in the world, get caught in this web of poverty? I think it is because the system and people who dominate it (i.e. the rich) don't share with the poor in a way that allows them to have dignity. The poor are told by everyone else that they will never become anything--so they don't. The jobs that are available to them (i.e. McDonalds) don't bring dignity (imagine working 60 hour weeks, with no chance of moving up and still not being able to pay the rent yourself--how would you feel about work in that context). They don't have people engaging their minds, helping them learn the meaning of work (beyond money) or even really believing in them.

Ending poverty is not about giving handouts (because that actually robs dignity) or imposing programs and creating low paying entry-level jobs. It is about helping people see their potential and helping them find work that has benefits beyond providing for themselves (or almost providing for themselves).

To succeed in a capitalist society requires that you work hard but to realize you have also been handed a lot of gifts as well. Those gifts may be an encouraging teacher, a parent that modeled success well, a good high school, parents who paid for college--whatever. People who have made it as capitalists work hard, BUT, have had some breaks too--breaks that allowed them to move up or gave them the dignity to work hard and succeed.

Because of these breaks, one that succeeds needs to be someone that gives breaks as well-breaks that bring dignity and facilitate people 'picking themselves up.' We must think of all the opportunities that we had, that others don't and must give them back to new people. So, I believe that the more we benefit from our hard work and a capitalistic society that allows us to get ahead, the more we need to work to build dignity to those who didn't have the breaks we had.

Caring for artists in the Church.
Church is a system, much like capitalism (whether you like it or not). There are people with gifts and skills that are valued and encouraged. I.e a child with some musical ability has endless opportunities to grow in their musical ability in the church and thus has lots of dignity builders: Christmas programs with lots of singing, a worship pastor that teaches music on the side, recitals held in the church, a youth group band, etc. Everywhere they turn, they are being encouraged to build their skills in music. Although they work hard to build their skills and 'move up' into worship leadership positions it is key to remember that they have also gotten a lot of breaks. There is dignity in being a musician in the church and that helps give them the strength to work hard and move up.

Now take any creative person that isn't interested or gifted in music (beyond, perhaps listening to their IPOD). They are usually completely ignored in the church (beyond coloring some prefab sheets in Sunday School) and in really progressive congregations they might be given jobs (a visual artist making flyers or ppt backgrounds) that use their gifts but don't really build them up. (kind of like flipping burgers doesn't build people's work ethic). The artists fill a need but are not allowed to build dignity. In many cases these experience even strip them of their dignity (an artist's work on a PowerPoint background ruined because a leader thinks they can change it or replace it with something they found on the Internet).

Artists don't need token jobs (like making ppt backgrounds for the songs or being allowed to slip a poem in between songs) they need work in the church that gives them freedom and dignity. They have been valued only on a surface level with lots of lip service, ignored completely or even been told that their work is idolatry.

My challenge to musicians in the Church is then:
Like someone that is rich needs to sacrifice in order to bring dignity to someone that is poor--you need to do the same.
• I challenge you to sacrifice your image as a church, your preferences and your music program so that other creative people can have a piece of what you have enjoyed as a musician.
• I challenge you to step aside and truly and deeply involve the artists in your church on their terms, giving them a voice and allowing them to have dignity within the church.
• I challenge you to be open-minded, because their ideas will blow you mind and your notions of church.
• I challenge you to be patient because its been along time since they've been allowed to do this and might not know what it looks like yet.
• I challenge you to consider making a non-musician a worship leader in your church. Someone that values music but does not see everything through a musical lens.


Of course if you are also rich, don't work so hard for the worship stuff and forget the even bigger needs of those in the community that are caught in a web of poverty. Work for that too--in fact, work and fight for anyone that is oppressed or poor in any way--it seems we are commanded to do that…

Mike

Absurd Story about Worship Part 2

Read this first: http://malibby.blogspot.com/2007/04/absurd-story-about-worship.html

I had promised a continuation of "Absurd Story about Worship" and have yet to follow through. Maybe because I never intended to continue it. Just to keep my word, though, I will continue it by drawing out some of the things I hoped to convey.

What I had hoped to convey through this was not a bash on music, hymns or choruses, but to point out the absurdity of our monochromatic corporate worship. I'd also hoped to invoke the feelings of oppression that someone who isn't particularly moved by, or gifted in, music might feel in a church dominated by music. I don't know if it did that, but I thought it was a pretty good attempt.

You would not believe the dirty looks and apprehension I get when I bring up the idea of having a corporate worship devoid of music. Often the reaction is probably stronger than if I had suggested we burn the Bible. Even though no one will admit it, music seems to really be considered the only way to worship corporately.

I guess I should expect this in a world full of people (including church leaders) who never leave home without their iPODs. The ability to have music is considered so much of a right in our society that people can't consider being without it, even on Sunday morning. (If you don't think we view music as a right, then consider how many people (including, maybe especially, Christians) willingly and knowingly steal thousands of dollars worth of music and have a completely clean conscience about it)

I've said it before, I love music. I don't know how many late nights I have spent just playing music, taking in every note and rhythm, doing nothing but listening for hours. But it is so sad to me how music seems to be the only honorable way to worship. That people who should be painting or writing poetry feel like they should learn guitar so that they can be a part of a worship team.

To me, when I get outside of my music-loving box and put aside my gifts in the area of music, the musical machine we in the church truly does look as absurd as the story I wrote. If we spent as much time and resources on any other art form there would be an uproar among the people in the church. If we did do as the story said and exalt sketching as the true way to worship corporately, it would truly be absurd--but not any more absurd than exalting music as true worship.

If we are to reach out and engage people who aren't musically oriented, we need to go out of our way to make space for other forms, gifts and ultimately people. We need to create gaping voids in the music. It is not enough to invite them (because they have been told they are second rate worshippers all their lives, whose gifts are only good enough for slide backgrounds and segue ways between songs--do you think they are going to rush to the front?). Besides, most of them have left the church anyway.

The story was to put a large group of people in another large group of people's shoes. This is about people being valued and being taught (and demonstrated tangibly) that their gift is no less worthy than someone else's in the church. Ultimately I'd like people to know that they don't need to force themselves to learn guitar in order to worship and help others worship and try to change the system where that is actually true…

Mike

"I Will" Worship…

I struggle with many things common to corporate worship gatherings today (as you will see by my other posts). One of them being "worship" songs that spend more time claiming and promising than they do worshipping. Here are a couple of song lines typical of this…

"I will dance, I will sing, to be mad for my king, nothing, Lord, is hindering this passion in my soul. I will become even more undignified than this, some will say its foolishness, I will become even more undignified than this"

"Evermore my heart, my heart will say, Above all, I live for Your glory, Even if my world falls I will say, Above all, I live for Your glory"

This certainly is only a small sampling of the church music that just seems to not get it right. (I include hymns in this too for all you "hymns are better than choruses" people). It just seems that so much of our corporate worship is not God focused, it is, instead focused on us and on promises to do certain things for God. I ran across this passage the other day:

Ecclesiastes 5:1-6 (New English Translation)
Be careful what you do when you go to the temple of God; draw near to listen rather than to offer a sacrifice like fools, for they do not realize that they are doing wrong. Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth! Therefore, let your words be few. Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are many words. When you make a vow to God, do not delay in paying it. For God takes no pleasure in fools: Pay what you vow! It is better for you not to vow than to vow and not pay it. Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, “It was a mistake!” Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?”

After having read that last week, I couldn't bring myself to sing along with many of the songs that we sung today in our corporate worship gathering. There simply are things that hinder my passion for Christ in my soul and I have no idea what I'm going to do or say when my world falls. I find it very unlikely that I will follow Christ will all of my heart every day of my life as other songs promise…

As a Christian, I know that whatever good I am able to do is solely based on the grace God gives me. These songs don't recognize that. They claim and rely on our own strength to do things for God. I believe that God views this as folly and would rather we not make these empty claims (according to Ecclesiasties).

Instead, how about we design our corporate worship around attributes of God and celebration of what God has done for us, instead of attributes of us and things we propose to do for God. I would hope, then, that this celebration would spur us on to actually living some of these ideals instead of saying a bunch of stuff we will never actually live out. I, certainly, don't want to stand in front of Christ on judgement day and beg "It was a mistake. I was just singing along!"

Mike

How Not to be Green

I found an interesting article about the Green Building Boom. http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=56&ItemID=13220

I am sort of a self proclaimed Eco-Nerd. I dream of a house with solar panels and even have spent an eveing looking up manual reel lawn mowers ( I someday hope to own a Brill Luxus 38) like most guys would do with cars or motorcyles.

But really most people are just silly, or at least prone to overcomplication, when it comes to seeking out the 'green life.'

I know some people who 'dream' of moving from their city home to the country so that they can grow their own food, build a super efficient house, and have lots of solar panels and windmills. The thing is, though, that the process of building that home and driving 20 miles to get to anything useful is going to far surpass the amount of energy they use living in their "inneficient' city home.

I know other people that rant and rave about how we need to change our lighbulbs to save the earth but buy overpackaged prepared food and fresh fruit in december (shipped across the country in big trucks.) I know people that will nearly kill you if you get plastic grocery bags or styrofoam cups instead of paper bags or cups (even though paper bags and cups require far more petroleum to grow, harvest and manufacture than is embodied in a plastic bag or a styrofoam cup).

I think we are prone to just jumping on the bandwagon, rather than really thinking how our decisions make a difference. I think this article is a good challenge to consider thinking backwards instead of forwards and also looking at the big picture, when trying to be eco friendly, instead of just feeding those who are capitalizing on our disires to be green.
Mike