Head On the Chopping Block

I've been involved with youth ministry for 5 years, and done a lot of preaching but you know there is one ministry in the Church that I reckon if you take it on then you need a real thick skin. What's the ministry? Worship - especially worship leading. You seem to cope it from all angles on this one. The latest craze in Churches seems to be lets rip into the song lyrics ( See http://www.carey.ac.nz/pauls_blog/) something I admit is really easy to do. But hey the amount of songs out their now, really, to have a go at the lyrics is cheap there are some good songs out their with good lyrics you just might need to look beyond Hillsong to find them. Personally, I find Chris Tomlin lyrics on his new album really good.
Then after the theologians have their go, you need to also be able to handle the ones who complain that the songs are: - too fast, too slow, too new, too old, too loud, too quiet, too personal, not seeker friendly or too shadow. Yea you need think skin.
While I'm on this comment another thing. I've been around some Churches where some lyrics are changed due to the commitment level they promise. Example - Shout To The Lord, has the line "Forever I'l love you, forever I'll stand" changed to "Help me to love you, and help me stand". I personally think this is weak. It's sound to me like the wedding card I hear you can get that says "I can't promise you tomorrow, but I can promise you today". It's a weak cope out! I want to follow God forever - I can say today I will stand forever - to promise anything else I think is weak. In the end, isn't it the reality that God does help us to love him and does help us to stand that enables us to sing "forever i'll love you forever I'll stand". It's not that we don;t realise our ability to fall away, it's not that we are relying on our own strength. It's becasue of the Spirit of God within us and the fact that we serve a God that "doesn't let go" that allows us to sing "forever".
Anyway as someone who doesn't actually worship lead to much now - I say a big up to the worship leaders around the place. May you honour God with your gifts, and may God bless you with skin thick enough to handle the chopping block that is modern worship leading.

Til next time
D

Back Again

Man, I'm tired. A skin condition can keep me awake for hours and on days like this it all catches up with me and I can barely keep my eyes open. But anyhow......
We are into the season of advent. I made a mistake and we actually started advent twice. I thought it started last Sunday - it said so on the Baptist Calender - stupid baptists what do they know about advent? So anyhow we had two first Sundays of Advent, just to be a little different here in Taupo.
Last night was a great service. It was based around a few stations on the Names of Jesus. Jesus the Vine, Jesus the Cornerstone, Jesus the Lamb, and Jesus the Bread. The reflection questions given to us and written by Liz really spoke to me at all the stations. But here is the ones from the Jesus the Bread.
Where is your hope?
Are you letting Christ be all he wants to be?
Are you hungry for more?
Is you hope in food that perishes, toys that rust or breakdown, relationships that are feeble?
Consider Christ as your food as the sustaining power an energy for your daily life

Til next time
D