never wanted to just point to Leonard Jones posts, but this one really hit me today, as I’ve been talking about this very thing a lot with different people:

click here

from Leonard Jones blog:

I have been a Christian for 36 years now and I have heard “there is a new sound coming to the church” for 36 years. The good news is; this very is true. The not so good news is; this will not happen until we stop listening to each other, get in our private places and practice our little backsides off. Will God circumvent his natural order of things and just give a new sound to a bunch of lazy church musicians? I don’t think so. However, I do believe there is a new sound available, but just like all great treasure it is hidden and very costly to find. Will you go for it?
LEO

in my Tabernacle studies, I keep coming back to the table of showbread, which (among other things), represents our will. now, if our creative acts are an expression of our will, then this can also represent our submitting of our creativity to the Spirit, follow?

so, I keep talking about the Church not being able to pastor artists, not being good about fostering true expression and creativity. perhaps this word has something to do with it.

from Rick Joyner, et al, via the Elijah List, you can either click here, or read it below. I really wanted to leave it in its entirety here, if you don’t mind…

RICK JOYNER with Andrei and Amanda Prychodko:
“The HOLY SPIRIT and the ARTS–Those Who Know the CREATOR will be the Most Creative People on the Planet”
“We will soon see artists create paintings that will come straight from the throne room of God. By looking at them, people will receive an impartation of deep prophetic vision and a Heavenly perspective.”

A well-known artist recently stated that “the future of art is perversion.” That is the devil’s prophecy, and no doubt the devil’s intent. When one looks at the direction art has taken in recent times from fine art, to modern art, to cinematic art, to music, it seems that this has been coming true. However, art belongs to God, and He is going to take art back.
Art is a basic form of prophecy, and there is a beauty and anointing about to come upon a host of holy artists whose prophetic art will burn away the fog that is now over it, just like the sun burns away the fog in the morning.
The Power of Art
Even among ancient cultures, art was a form of communication used to convey a message that would actually help set the course of that culture. You can tell where a culture is headed by its art. Art prophesies for good or for evil. It was no coincidence that the Nazis were so devoted to art, and that Hitler always fashioned himself as an artist. It was the music of Wagner that was used to mesmerize the people and help fuel the Nazi frenzy toward its diabolical and tragic purposes. The music we listen to sows into our souls and can set the course of our lives for good or evil.
Art has also been a basic form of worship. Art is a powerful media that can lead to the worship of something or someone. Art can have the power to capture the attention, imagination, and hearts of people. It has actually been more effective in directing the nations than armies or weapons.
In recent decades, lawlessness has gripped almost every form of art, igniting a most obnoxious and perverted race, and plummeting art and artists deeper and deeper into darkness. Art has followed step by step the fall into confusion, meaninglessness, and darkness of soul that philosophy has fallen to. That will always be the result of worshiping anything or anyone rather than the one true God. But just as art and philosophy have descended, ascension of both will come. Artists who worship the one true God, who keep their souls purified by the singleness of purpose to glorify the Lord, will be given a greater power. They will become like prisms that refract the light of Heaven and give color and meaning to the world. As deep as art has plummeted into darkness, the light that is coming will be even greater. Beauty, meaning, and the elevation of all that is good will soon be seen in an extraordinary army of artists. One of the most obvious characteristics of God that we can see through His creation is that He loves creativity and diversity. He loves them so much that He even made every snowflake unique. There are no two trees alike, no two leaves alike, and no two people alike. He made every one of us unique.

His creation is art in its most profound form. We do not worship the creation, but the Creator. We must never worship art, but the One who gave it to us. He gave us art to lift our hearts and release thanksgiving, because we “enter His gates with thanksgiving” (see Psalm 100:4). All of the awe and wonder of His creation was intended to draw us closer to Him. Art was not intended to point to the creation, but to use the creation to point to Him.
In Matthew 13:39, the Lord said, “…the harvest is the end of the age….” In the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, He also commanded that the wheat and the tares be allowed to grow up together, so both would come to maturity at the same time. We do not need to go about trying to find the tares and root them out, because much of the time we would mistake the wheat for the tares and destroy the wheat. Both must be allowed to grow together, but when they are both mature, their nature will be obvious.
This is the time when everything that has been sown in man, the good and the evil, the light and the darkness, will come to full maturity. It is obvious that the darkness is coming to maturity in every art form, but soon we will see the light coming to maturity in every art form. Even so, light will be victorious and overshadow the darkness because light is more powerful. When we open our shades at night, darkness does not come into the room, but the light that is in the house shines out into the darkness. Light is stronger than darkness, and we are about to see light begin to overpower the darkness that is in art. Because we are approaching the end of the age, the time of full maturity, the light that is about to be released through the arts will be unprecedented.
This does not mean that the light about to be released through art is going to be more popular than the darkness. Remember, when the Light Himself came to earth and walked among us, men “loved darkness more than the light” (see John 3:19). Even so, the Lord was merciful beyond comprehension to send us His Son, and He is going to give His greatest light during the times of greatest darkness so all will have the chance to see it and turn to it. He loves all men and desires for them to be saved. He will not force them, but He will give them an opportunity to see His light. It is not our job to make men see the light or want the light, but it is our job simply to walk in the light and reveal it.
The Holy Spirit and Art
In the Bible, artists were the first people to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, we often find quotes saying that the Spirit of God came on someone, such as we see in II Chronicles 15:1, “Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded,” or in II Chronicles 24:20, “Then the Spirit of God came on Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest….”
However, it was Bezalel who was the first person in the Bible about whom it was said that he was “filled with the Spirit,” which we see in Exodus 31:1-5:
Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, “to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, “and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship.”
Bezalel means “under the shadow, protection of God.” Isn’t it interesting that the first person in the Bible about whom it was said that they were “filled with the Spirit” was an artisan, and not a priest, a king, or a prophet? This should give us a definite sense of the importance that the Lord gave to art in His dwelling place, the tabernacle, which was the prophetic model for His Church, “the tabernacle not made with hands” (see Hebrews 9:11). If there was ever a building that exceeded this one for artistic excellence, it would have to be His other dwelling place in the Old Testament, the temple that Solomon built for Him. This should declare loudly the importance that He gives to art in His Church, His present dwelling place.
In Exodus 28:3, we see that the artists working with Bezalel were also filled with the Holy Spirit, “So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments, to consecrate him, that he may minister to Me as priest.”
Here we also see that the Lord wanted an artist to make the priest’s garments. How would this apply to us? It seems that there is a special revelation of the Lord that can come through art which touches His basic nature as the Creator. This is why those who know Him and are changed into His image, by seeing Him, should also be creative. Creativity is His basic nature. Therefore, Christians should be the most creative people on the earth, and art that is inspired by the Holy Spirit should be worn by the priests of the Lord like a garment.
We should also consider that artists, who are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and who will earnestly follow Him as Bezalel, do have a similar role like prophets and priests to reveal Him to the people. To reveal the Lord is the most basic purpose for art, and not only is it the highest form of art, but it is the only true fulfillment that an artist will ever have. Anything else will only lead to a base reduction or perversion of the gift.
The Church was the great custodian of art throughout much of the Church age, and most of the great works of art were commissioned by the Church. As the Church, at times, drifted from her pure devotion to the Lord, the art commissioned by the Church also drifted.
When the Protestant Reformation began, there was a great reaction to much of the Church’s art that was believed to be used as idolatry, so many of the Protestant movements rejected art altogether in worship. This led to the construction of very plain and colorless buildings for the Church’s meeting places, which was also a good reflection of the Church services, and therefore became a reflection of the way many perceived God to be. This is one of the great tragedies of Church history, which misrepresented God, possibly, as much as that which was considered idolatry. God is the most wonderful, interesting, colorful, and creative Being there is, or will ever be. Those who are becoming like Him will be so as well. Just as His priests under the Old Covenant were clothed with great beauty and artistic design, so will His New Covenant Church which has “a better covenant” (see Hebrews 7:22).

There is a movement in the Church today to recover art in worship, and it is not unexpected that it is taking place chiefly among those baptized in the Holy Spirit, or who claim to be and at least seek to be “Spirit-filled.” Those who are truly filled with His Spirit will not be able to contain the creativity that is a basic nature of the Spirit for very long. It will pour out of them. Again, those who truly know the Creator will be the most creative people on the planet.
However, it is crucial that artists are deeply committed to worshiping the Lord with their art rather than worshiping art itself. There is a ditch on either side of the path of life, with lawlessness on one side and legalism on the other. In art, this is usually manifested in idolatry on one side, which is a form of lawlessness, and a tragically inhibiting legalism on the other side. Learning to navigate between these extremes is difficult, but the tension between them can help keep us in the proper balance where the
path of life is, keeping life in our art.
It is noteworthy that the Hebrew verb mashach, which means “to anoint,” is defined as “to smear with oil, or paint” (Strong’s OT #4886). There is a filling of the Spirit, and there is an anointing or painting of the Spirit. We should have the nature of the Spirit in our hearts, and this should be reflected on us too. We know the meaning of this in relation to the anointing that we must have for ministry, but think about it in relation to art in how we are clothed, as this was a high purpose for art in the Old Testament–to clothe the priests.
We know from the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22, that the Lord Himself will be offended if we are not properly attired for the occasion. To dress properly for a wedding is a basic way that we show respect for the bride and groom and their families. The same would be true for a funeral, or other occasions such as meeting with a dignitary, leader, or anyone that we respect. To be careless with how we dress for an occasion is to show that we “care less” about it.
It is easy to recognize a person who dresses just to attract attention to themselves. Such are obvious, and though they may have dressed attractively, self-centeredness is never really attractive except in a carnal way. However, if a person dresses well, thinking about those with whom they will meet, there is a dignity and respect with him or her that is not self-centered. Art is the same. Do we want our art to get the attention, or do we want it to point to something or someone greater? There is nobility in God-centered art that will be profoundly attractive, but not in a self-centered way.
If God has called us to do something, He will obviously give us the talent to do it. We want to do all that we do with excellence, but excellence of character is the foundation of excellence in our work. The greatest excellence of character is the love of God. Out of loving God, all true nobility flows, as well as all true light.
The Spirit Prophesies
We see in both Joel 2 and Acts 2 that when the Spirit is poured out, there will be prophecy. As stated, art has been a primary media for prophecy, both for good and evil. By its very nature, art usually predicts and points ahead to trends that cultures take, and then art also becomes a primary media for interpreting the trends. It is for this reason that the Church should especially be devoted to the arts, as it is called to be the light of the world, pointing to the way and illuminating it. When the Church follows the Spirit and becomes what she is called to be, we can expect prophetic Christians to begin to lead in every field of art.
One of the calls some artists will have will be to bring the Church to a higher level of the prophetic. Since the time that God gave the Holy Spirit to Bezalel to fill him with special ability, wisdom, and craftsmanship, we do not see the Lord doing this again to that extent. The highest art was for the highest purpose, building God’s dwelling place. The greatest and highest art will always be that which is done for God, not men. Men may enjoy it and be lifted by it–this is also pleasing to the Lord, who wants to draw and reconcile all men to Himself. Even so, when we produce art for men, it will never be as high as the art that is done as worship for God.
Understanding the Power
A movie can be “G” rated but have a power to seduce and release a spirit of lust even more than an “R” rated movie. It is not so much what is shown as the power behind it. We must have a discernment that goes beyond human ratings. However, just as dark art has the power to impart darkness and oppression, Holy Spirit-anointed art is going to have the power to set people free. There are artists being raised up whose gifts of healing and deliverance will be projected through their art. People will just look at it, or hear the song, and get healed or set free.
There is likewise art that will soon be released that will powerfully impart vision and purpose to people, even calling some to their ministry and releasing spiritual gifts. One of the famous cases of this in history is how the young Count Zinzendorf beheld a classic painting of the Savior, and it stirred in him a devotion to the Lord that ultimately led to the birth of modern missions.
We will soon see artists create paintings that will come straight from the throne room of God. By looking at them, people will receive an impartation of deep prophetic vision and a Heavenly perspective. In the same way, people with other creative gifts, such as music or writing, will receive this greater anointing, and through their creative gifts, the whole Church wil be drawn to the throne room of God from which it came. There will be songs that call the righteous to the righteous cause, and help set their lives on fire for God. There will be paintings that simply grip the souls of those who see them so that they give their lives to the service of our King.
God, through Moses, gave Bezalel instructions on how to build His dwelling place. Bezalel knew clearly what colors to use and where to use them. He received architectural plans and was instructed on how to create the lamp stand, the altar, the laver, and all of the other furniture and coverings to be placed there. He was instructed on how to weave colors and images into the tent walls and curtains, and how to create holy garments for the priests. Until the tent was built, only Moses, Bezalel, and the artists working with Bezalel could see it in their spirits, but once the tent was built, everybody could see it. However, not everybody could see it to the same extent. The deeper they were allowed to enter the temple, the more they could see.
Today, we all have access to the deepest part of the temple. There will be divinely anointed artisans who will see the deep things of the Spirit and be able to convey them in a form that compels many others to seek the deep things of God. The art will not be the deep things of God, but it will help
lead to them.
As we are told in I Corinthians 2:10, “For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”
Those who truly follow the Spirit will not be shallow. If we truly are “Spirit-filled,” we will always be seeking to know God deeper. We will not be content to just see His acts, but we will want to know His ways. We can likewise expect art to go deeper as the artist goes deeper. They will penetrate the depths of God and men, releasing the living waters that come from “the innermost being.” Art is always a means and never an end in itself. We know we are on the path of life when life is flowing from us. All true life is to know God and His Son. Is that where our art is leading?
The Lord obviously wants to share His creativity with His people. It is the basic nature of the New Covenant that we do not have to be perfect to come into the Lord’s presence, but that we get perfected by coming into His presence. The closer we are to Him, the more clean and pure we shall be, and so will our art.
Those who have seen His glory will not be impressed by the greatest human glory. Those who have seen His creativity will not be impressed by the greatest human creativity. For this reason, the closer we get to Him, the less our art should be influenced by human art or human trends, but will reflect Heavenly trends that will often be in direct contrast to the nature of fallen human creativity. For this reason, one of the saddest statements of the present condition of the Church is when she follows the world’s trends in such things as art and music. The world should be following the Church, and the closer we get to God, the more we can be sure that the art and the music will be clean and pure.
The Lord is seeking clean vessels to release His creativity. Many artists in the Church are in bondage because they have very worldly ideas and desires, similar to artists in the world–namely, wrong ideas of success, selfish ambitions, jealousy, and pride. Art and artists have always been under attack by the enemy because the enemy knows what a powerful vessel they can be for good or evil. Many artists are outcasts, discriminated against, and have a hard time making a living, while others are exalted like gods. However, the Lord promises that He will bring low those who exalt themselves, and exalt those who humble themselves. All exaltation by men is brief, shallow, and leads ultimately to a terrible emptiness. This is why almost everyone who reaches a pinnacle in a field of art, or almost anything else, falls to a deep depression.
When we attain a pinnacle by our own selfish ambition, it is never what we expect. When the Lord takes us to the heights, it is different. We begin to breathe the atmosphere of Heaven, and glories beyond human imagination begin to be discerned in their nature of being ever-expanding and ever-increasing, just like the universe He created. One aspect of Heaven is a continual marvel and wonder at what God has done, and the unfathomable privilege of being able to participate with Him in it. Compared to God, even the greatest human genius or art will be like a molecule standing before the sun. The fact that the sun cares about and loves the little molecule, even treating it as a partner, causes an ever-increasing love of the little molecule for the sun.
Artistic expression is an expression of creativity. Creativity is spiritual and has a power and influence that can be greater than is apparent. Therefore, the enemy tries to influence artists and use them for his purpose. Art has been used for a lot of evil, but it will be redeemed and fully restored, like all of the gifts that the Lord gave to man so that man could better relate to Him.

As the Lord Jesus states in Luke 3:4-5, which He quoted from the Prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. ‘Every ravine will be filled, and every mountain and hill will be brought low; the crooked will become straight, and the rough roads smooth….’”
We are again in the times of Elijah, preparing the way for the coming of the Lord. This is how we are building the highway that He will come on–we THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE ARTS level the mountains, bring up the low places, and make the crooked straight. The mountains here are strongholds and the low places are the oppressed. In relation to the arts, the crooked is the self-worship, humanism, and perversions that have taken over the arts. Some are now arising with divinely powerful weapons to bring down the strongholds and tools for building the highway. These will see the glory of the Lord come down on what they have been used to build. It will be worth the struggle. It is a noble cause–the “good fight” of faith that will take much faith, but the victory is sure for those who remain faithful. The arts belong to the Lord, and He is raising His army now to retake them.
Rick Joyner with Andrei and Amanda Prychodko
MorningStar Ministries Email: info@morningstarministries.org
Permission is granted (and you are also encouraged) to reprint these
articles in hard copy form, as well as sending them to your own email lists
and posting them on your own websites. We ask only that you keep ElijahList
website, email contact info, and author contact information intact.
ElijahList Publications
310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email:
info@elijahlist.net
Phone 1-541-926-3250

maybe this is becoming a linklist - not what I had in mind, but I am SO glad to see the comments being generated - you guys ROCK! anyway, this was pretty cool today. I never realized that I hadn’t known what the word “doxology” actually meant before. here is the quote, but the whole thing is good-

Our sinful tendency is to either attempt to bypass the mind (as if that were possible) in our worship of God, or to be so intellectual in our approach to the things of God that we bypass the affections.

so, I’m talking with this fellow at the university about being ENGAGED in worship, about bringing his FULL ATTENTION at every moment… thinking more about this…. then I stumble on this article from the late Harold Best, and though the discussion is about music and perception, suddenly this quote, when seen through a worship/church lens, just made so much sense:

“If and when an individual or a society becomes exclusively an entertainment society and when entertainment is stripped of its obligation to engage and legitimately divert; when the continuing and only object is to disengage; when shallow engagement with shallowness of content is the only allowable possibility; when easy entrance into, trivial engagement with, and easy exit from, an experience dominate the whole of perceptual engagement; when greatness is trivialized by trivial and trendy uses of greatness–high art as a synonym for affluence, history as docudrama, the sexualization of culture (which in turn guarantees the trivialization of sex), masterpieces as top 40 hits, religion as top 40 morality and spirituality–then we can truly say that entertainment is not just shallow; it is a deep evil from which society must extricate itself”.

how much of this depth that society is in has rubbed off on the church? on our approach to worship? in our desire to “meet people where they are” I feel that so many of our worship teams are trivial and trendy, creating shallow entertainment as a prelude to a keynote speaker, never leaving the outer court, never challenging the Christian to bring their “A” game but rather granting the right to sit back and enjoy.

are you engaged? your thoughts?

quote from here:

“There are two definitions in the Hebrew for worship,” he says. “One is a bowing and bending of the knee, and the other is labor and service. Take any given Sunday morning. You’ve got a band on stage that is working hard to play their instruments, to make sure they’re playing accurately. Chances are they’re not lost in the rapture and the beauty of God. They’re focused on making sure their guitars are in tune. But that, in God’s eyes in the Hebrew word, qualifies as worship. It’s labor and service.

“On the flip side of the stage, if the people out there are hearing the words, their hearts are embracing the words; they’re getting lost in the emotion of the music, and they’re worshipping through bowing and bending of the knee. It’s comforting to know that I can do this work. I can make sure the guitars are in tune and warm up my voice, and God sees that as pleasing worship.”

post series on its way, in the meanwhile I point you to this:

excerpt -  Any Christian art that stays, will always be good art. It will never stay just because it’s Christian.

Seth Ward

excerpt from this:

The Central Issue in Tribulation: Worship
One does not have to penetrate deeply into the Revelation of John to discover that both God and the devil are seeking worshipers (see Rev. 7:11; 13:4; 14:7,11).

….

If you are a true worshiper, your spirit will exude worship to God no matter what battle you are fighting. In warfare, worship creates a wall of fire around the soul.

-from A.W Tozer’s book, “The Pursuit of God”.

“Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. It can be
removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. We
dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to
imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and the oxen. We must
invite the cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our
self-sins to the cross for judgement. It is never fun to die. To rip
through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be
anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus
and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free. The cross
is rough and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its
victim hanging there for ever. There comes a moment when its work is finished
and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and
power, and the pain is forgotten for the joy that that veil is taken
away and we have entered, in actual spiritual experience, the Presence
of the Living God”.  [pages 46-47]

click here:

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be not more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.” (Let the Nations Be Glad, p. 17, John Piper)

“To try to talk about art and about Christianity is for me one and the same thing, and it means attempting to share the meaning of my life, what gives it, for me, its tragedy and its glory. It is what makes me respond to the death of an apple tree, the birth of a puppy, northern lights shaking the sky, by writing stories.”

- Madeline L’engle

been moving to Florida, and barely getting back in the saddle. read this today, and had to share.

quote from here:

He said that in his old church, though they did truly love Jesus, they had grown to a certain size and begun to be concerned with keeping butts in seats at a church in the Bible belt – a very tall order. They used over-the-top video with the music because ‘that’s what megachurches do’ and imported music that all the other local churches imported because ‘that’s what people wanted to hear’ and ‘it’s what they could worship to’. The church catered to peoples’ ‘needs’ in hopes that more people would fill the seats. In all actuality, they had elevated this method of doing church and their cultural connection to Bible-belt Christian culture above the importance of the gospel. All of the work that they put forth every week was to this end, not to the end of staying true to scripture or doctrine or strengthening their individual relationships with Jesus.

some parallels that come to mind, as a musician…and a worshipper:

• to play jazz or worship, you have to embrace order as well as freedom
• to play jazz or worship, you have to have prepared yourself by yourself AND with others
• to play jazz or worship, success depends upon following the flow
• to play jazz or worship, LISTENING is the MOST INTEGRAL skill
• to play jazz or worship, requires submitting to the others around you, and to the leader
• to play jazz or worship, you have to bring SOMETHING of your own to the table
• to play jazz or worship, you have to sacrifice yourself for the good of the purpose

A place where even the wild & wooly have grace. Where we who don’t have it all together come together once again. The humble sit forgiven & speechless, while the proud sit loudly & survey. Where the half dead are fully alive - at least for a while - And the half crazed are calmed once more. We, in rare unity, lift up our hearts & bow our heads to worship God. The songs boom like pockets of thunder… then cometh the rain.

trying not to let this just become a linklist, but I just had to share this one:

from Natala:

back when i started
an old baptist preacher told me
the 2 most dangerous words
anyone could ever say is “my church”
if i still believe there is something bigger
which hope goes back and forth
if i believe there is anything out there
or any reason or rhyme to what seems
to be chaos.
even through all of that
it took a year to realize
the old baptist preacher was right
my church
when it is uttered by anyone
a pastor
a congregate
a teacher
an elder
a deacon
a participant
my church says so much more
it says that the church belongs to
no higher power.
and perhaps that is my trouble with
the religion of church
in the end it’s not held to a higher power
but mostly to the power of “my”
church after church
conversation after conversation
program after program
is all about the power of the “my”
my became god
in the modern church.
my became what rules
the modern church
we kicked god to the curb
we told jesus we had no place for him
and my became it all.
i see this in the church world wide
that my is god
my has nothing to do with others
my has nothing to do with caring
my has nothing to do with peace
my is about self
and only about self.
we look around and wonder what is destroying the church
why church is becoming a joke
we look and wonder why
but the answer is simple
it’s the power of my
the power in those 2 letters
has broken apart millions
it’s about nothing else
except my
what if church was simply about
serving others
loving others
caring for others
and not about the my
not about what we wanted
but what jesus would have wanted
what if we never said my church
if we truly believe in anything
there is no room for my
my is stronger than i ever want to admit
like a child who cries
we try endlessly to take back
what is ours
or so we think
if the child only knew
that what they want back
is truly not their own
perhaps they wold stop fighting so much
my has been one of my greatest lessons
i have learned.

from Leonard Jones, worship pastor of MorningStar - Charlotte, NC:

For some reason the church seems to be the most uncreative environment on the planet. And yet if you go down to the sections of town where there is a lot of art and music and weird looking people, creativity is everywhere. If you talk to those people, most of them had tried the church at one time, but dropped out to rebel. I have been in the church going on 36 years and I have refused to let it rob me of my creativity. My opinion is this; “Rebellion creates the most interesting art”. You just need to rebel against the right things like; this worlds system, religious spirits, boring chord changes, and especially against mundane ness. There is still some rebellion left in my art, thank God. This is not to be confused with rebellion against authority, which is witchcraft; I stay away from that.
LEO

on a personal note, I hope you don’t mind if I ask for prayer via this site. this upcoming week, I/we will be recording two worship projects. both will be recorded in Houston, at Sunrise Studios (my old stomping grounds).

this seemed a suitable forum, as part of the focus with these projects is to discover the next level of what worship CAN BECOME…

the first, on Tuesday, August 21, will be called New Psalms, and will have a lot of ambient worship along with spoken word of some poetry that is very much like the title. saxophone, percussion, piano and synthesizers will be recorded all live and all together underscoring these psalms.

the second is untitled at the moment, but will have 10 intercessors praying through the model of the Tabernacle in worship, while a piano, bass, drums, and percussion will be trying to find the sound of heaven for the evening. this will be recorded Wednesday, August 22.

couldn’t it be said that worship and intercession are two sides of the same coin? hmmm…

if either of these projects pierce your heart, let me encourage you to both pray, and to email me for more details. results will be posted at my personal site. thank you

“The church ought to be the most creative place on the planet”

-Mark Batterson

takes work. a lot of work. how many CALLED worshippers, folks in worship teams in churches around the country, WORK their craft. to the glory of God, for crying out loud!

as so many people, prophetic voices have proclaimed, God is looking to create a NEW SOUND through His people. i believe this is just as much MUSICAL as it is spiritual and other things. however, few of us are prepared for this. yikes!

i have an old friend I rediscovered via MySpace (cringe, I know!). he wrote this in his blog back in July. i think every musician who is CALLED needs to read this, grasp this perspective, and let the Spirit speak to you through it. at first you might think I’m a little nuts, or just being sentimental about my friend.

let this excerpt speak to you:

21 Jul 2007

My Utleast For His Lowest?
…

“I swear that Christian musicians are scared of getting too good. It would explain so, so, so, so, so much. It would explain why I’ve never heard great harmonic sense from any of these bands. It would explain why you never hear these bands work in odd rhythms. It would explain why these bands rarely, if ever play multi-part compositions, and it would explain why I’ve never heard one that can improvise. And I’ve really never heard one that can kick back and groove.”

There is only one blatant error in that statement. It is this:  There are plenty of Christian musicians that can kick back and groove.  But that’s about ALL THEY GOT. It’s usually too kicked back.  Actually more back and not enough KICK as in kick-ass.  I’m sorry.  I’m really sorry. A sad sorry.  A wistful sorry.  I’m a Christian.  Yes.  I am a Christian in the sense that it is what I believe.   Richard Gere is a Buddist, Travolta is a Scientologist.  Trip Wamsley is a Christian.  I do not function in the realms of Christian music. Well, I do sometimes, but it’s only when I get a call to do it.  (Other than that, it isn’t something that I seek.  I see no point in punishing myself, trying to market SOLO BASS GUITAR to churches.  It’s hard enough in the real world.)  It isn’t because I don’t necessarily want to.  I just DON’T.

When I was younger I practiced and played all the time.  I still do, although not in the fevered marathon stints of my youth.  People would accuse me of having the bass guitar as an idol due to the time I spent with it.  These are the same people that whittled away HOURS all weekend watching sports or whatever.  Or they spent way too much time at the office.  It ticked me off, frankly.  The Bible says, “whatever you find to do, do it with all your might.”  It takes practice to be good. Period. You have to put in the time.  Frankly most CCM artists I have seen—with scattered exceptions—put in time enough to be competent. (It’s become the norm in mainstream culture too.)  That’s it.  It’s a very “Harrison Bergeron” sort of existence, in that most of them are all on the SAME LEVEL which isn’t saying much. It should be the opposite. It should have always been the opposite.  It’s tragic that it isn’t.  I’ll move on now.

Christian players like myself who need to PLAY find ourselves having to mingle (GLADLY, I may add) with players that don’t share our beliefs. Some may be a bit hostile.  I normally don’t blame them.  One reaction I have gotten when someone finds out that I’m a Christian was something like “Oh goodness there goes the gig, this guy won’t be able to play.”  (This is not the norm but it has happened.)  Then they are surprised when I can actually operate the instrument in a highly versatile and energetic manner.   Afterwards, I have hopefully made new friends and gotten more work.  Work is good.  It’s also an opportunity to share what I believe with others without accusations and holier than thou tones.  If anything, I’m unholier than thou.  That’s the truth.  I smoke and I drink, sometimes to excess.  I don’t care, I don’t make a weekly ritual of it, but I enjoy it.  Again, most of my bookings are in the real world, and the consequences of the aforementioned actions will not be far reaching.  Any criticisms will be on my MYSPACE page, and in some Christian music forums that will be ignored by most people that purchase my music and see my shows.  Whatever.

How many great CCM musicans can you name?  I mean people that can PLAY and have the respect of their peers regardless of belief and labels.  I can think of Phil Keaggy.  That’s it.  One.  Phil’s getting a little long in the tooth.  He’s still playing his ass off, but it’s been marshmallowed down.  His Beyond Nature album still stands as one of the most stunning works of solo guitar ever.  But that’s it.  Was there no room for anyone besides Phil?  Guess not.  Players that are Christians have to move on, and we do.  We have to in order to survive.  I was endowed with an enorrmous desire to play the bass guitar to the fullest. If that desire was an error all of my prayers to have it removed have gone unanswered.  So, there’s a reason for it, yes? I have known some talented players—who could be making good money being players—that don’t make the move to get gigs with players outside of their church or whatever.  As a result, they are stuck in day jobs that they hate and they want GOD to make them big CCM guitar stars or something.  Why not just play and make your way.
…
Most CCM artists don’t or won’t work hard at their instruments.  Most of the ones I’ve played with can’t or won’t improvise.  They won’t practice either.  From the above quote it’s pretty obvious, not only to the poster of that quote but to the planet at large.  I was raised in a Christian household…by musicians.  I told my father and my mother that Christian music didn’t have the following:

Jimi Hendrix, Jaco Pastorius, RUSH, King Crimson, Asia, Yes, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Percy Jones, Mick Karn, The Who, The Beatles
…
There are many great musicians that are Christians some are considered to be the best in the world at their instruments.  To name a few:

Vinnie Coliauta:  Sting, Frank Zappa, Michael Brecker
Steve Gadd:  One of greatest drummers ever to put stick to head.
Abe Laboriel Jr.
Bill Maxwell
Abe Laboriel Sr.
Alex Acuna (Played with Jaco Pastorius in Weather Report)

We all have our comfort zones.  Learning to play and play well, involves getting uncomfortable.  It sometimes hurts.  The gospel is quite gritty.  I don’t think that Christ was in his comfort zone on the cross.  Paul was not in his comfort zone in prison.  Moses was not comfy being elected divine spokesperson.  I’m not comfortable with Christian music and musicians being a joke.  It shocking, tragic and deeply saddening and a tad infuriating that most of them are.  I’m going to go practice now.  I’ll be working on stuff I can’t play.  I won’t be comfortable.  But, I won’t be doing my Utleast for His Lowest either.

seems like we are all trying to find God in the midst of our daily life. that somehow much of our church life leaves us unfulfilled, unsatisfied. that somewhere, somehow, we missed something along the way. anyone wanna raise their hands, that they’ve felt this way too?

i go back and try to trace what was it about those times that were refreshing, fulfilling, truly GOD moments. how did we get there? what was different? i know that finding the Presence of Him is a key, because the Presence of the Spirit will ALWAYS produce a reaction. but far too often church has been about anything BUT the Presence.

is it a little metaphysical, a little spooky? impossible to quantify? yes. but there is something about ushering in the Presence of God in a corporate setting that my soul, my heart, my spirit YEARNS for.

why is it that some services feel like we are going through the motions of a prescribed service format, and little of importance is actually happening? why is it that some services feel like GREAT PERFORMANCES, a presentation of giftings, but the “show”, if you will, gave the warm fuzzies for only a moment, and that same empty feeling comes back?

what is different about those MOMENTS with God that leave you reeling, perhaps a little drunk, having been TRULY CHANGED by the process? any ideas?

“A longing fulfilled is sweet to the soul.” Proverbs 13:19

look at this. to quote the Anchoress, Worst Praise Song Ever.

enter His courts with praise…

thanksgiving begins with a BATTLE. then, praise will bring deliverance from destruction. after, worship will clothe us in holiness.

thanksgiving is about God’s goodness. praise is about God’s greatness. worship is about God’s HOLINESS. a revelation of His holiness is required for worship. you don’t need a revelation to praise or thank Him. the revelation of holiness comes through the renewing of your mind….

must beat down the flesh to get into the spirit. clapping of hands is flesh striking flesh, it is an outward sign of REJOICING. and who better to APPLAUD than the Holy One?

AND, the rhythm inherent in clapping sets up the atmosphere of praise, of rejoicing… hmmmm…

another common element is the LIFTING of hands, in this case giving adulation. does this lifting of hands signify a surrender of will, that the work of our hands, our gifts and talents are being offered back to Him? is this preparation for the next step, the Altar of Sacrifice? hmmmm…

the flesh wants to subdue the joy within; the spirit wills us to LET OUT the joy within.

note: the Spirit doesn’t necessarily move here. the Lord’s voice is inaudible and the power and presence of the Holy Spirit is anticipating what is to come, but is not available yet.

note: THIS ISN’T WORSHIP! worship is God to us. this is us to God…

your thoughts?

so, in the taste test, modern praise music has flunked. my favorite section:

“IT IS AN INTERESTING PARADOX. Churches devoted to rigorous, difficult theology — real Christianity, in short — have largely adopted praise music, mainly to get people in the doors. In doing so, they have denied their parishioners an intimate connection with the art, the music, the poetry, and the history of the faith of our fathers, embodied in hymns.”

hmmm… so many mixed emotions coming to the surface. one the one hand, I TOTALLY agree: lyrical depth has become so”last century” that it is hard to find anything that poetically and lyrically moves me anymore. worship has become an act of will, but the richness and depth… well…

on the other hand, what have I written that is so much better? so, are we to sit back and continue to complain, pointing fingers at all the lack in today’s worship. OR ARE WE TO RAISE THE BAR IN OUR OWN LIVES FIRST, THEN INFLUENCE OTHERS TO DO THE SAME?

out

sorry for the lack of posts lately. I have several in the hopper, but with all the travel lately, I’ve fallen behind. a few folks are being tapped to”guest-blog”, but no takers, apparently.

i’ve been wanting to write quite a bit on the topic of creativity, or the apparent lack of in church today, but a couple of folks already put it plainer than I could. please take a moment and read this and this. if you want to comment back here that would be wonderful.

complaining is easy, huh? it’s trying to change it, in others and yourself, that is hard. any suggestions?

Rick Warren: “He’s more interested in what I am than what I do. That’s why we’re called human beings, not human doings.”

Brian Doerksen says “Intimacy is reverent, not flippantly casual.”

becoming intimate AND reverent…… at the same time…

so, He is our best friend, our confidant. and yet, He is the God of all Creation. His Son is the Prince of Peace. the majesty, the sovereignty. the friendship and love.

i love the mystery of those two opposing approaches. He wants to become close to Him, and yet He remains King. one doesn’t just bust in the door, say “howdy” to the King of Glory, and holler. one goes through a PROCESS of PREPARATION before approaching the throne.

the tabernacle shows us that we must first approach in praise & thanksgiving, repent and have our sins washed away, then be cleansed by the Word, then renew our mind, then lay down our will, and so on. this is for US to be prepared to enter the Presence.

but, I believe the dichotomy here is that we are to respect and revere Him, never forget His nobility and deity, but ALSO TO BE IN HIS PRESENCE SO MUCH THAT WE BECOME COMFORTABLE.

there is a difference between intimacy and familiarity. familiarity implies a disdain for something that is fully known, and has no further surprises. intimacy says that I will draw near to you, solely because of who you are, because I want to, and I will do so all the time.

sometimes I feel like I see us confusing intimacy with casualness, and lose respect in how we honor and respect Him. other times, it seems we get so caught up in the majesty and glory of it all, that we lose the innocence of the child, approaching Father God, and wallowing in His presence.

your thoughts?

gate thoughts:

there was only ONE WAY IN…

it was 30 feet wide, supported by four pillars, (four indicating universal) showing that it was open to all kinds of men, but not all men…

the court was all white linen, so the gate really stood out with the blue, purple, and scarlet…showing attributes of Jesus

• blue represents Heaven, as Jesus is the Son of God
• purple represents Royalty, Jesus as King
• scarlet represents the Blood, Jesus as sacrifice

the gate is open now, because of Jesus’s sacrifice, and will remain open as long as Grace remains…

with thanksgiving…. how much time do we really spend in prayer, in worship, just in gratitude for all He is, all He has done, all He will do? i can imagine going for HOURS just in thanking Him for all I need to thank Him for… how about you?

this is such a beautiful act of worship by Mike Lewis, Jesus Painter. not only an expressive, artistic, evangelistic pursuit, but the REALLY COOL part to me is that he essentially turned Times Square into a sanctuary, if you will, with the permission of the authorities.

curious what tangible impact this has had on the spiritual atmosphere, the warfare in the area…

awesome posting from worship blog, click here

my favorite part:

Worship is not first an activity. No, worship is first a position of the heart. It’s only when my heart esteems God above everything else, that I’ll serve him with my time, energy, money, and strength.

so, there are 2 chapters in the Bible devoted to Creation (which, in my humble opinion, is actually a Restoration, but never mind…) and OVER FIFTY chapters in the Bible devoted to the Tabernacle, the layout, the furniture, the process….

so how important is worship to Him, to us?

so a musician shows up on the gig. he’s tuned up, plugged in, ready to go. band-leader hands him a chart for the first tune. he tells the musician the style, perhaps a comment or two on some specific things, but allows the chart to tell the important things.

the tune is counted off, and away it goes. now some tunes are very scripted, down to the last note and nuance. think a symphony or a large choral piece. but tunes in the jazz club are sparsely notated. typically a basic form, the melody, an outline of the harmony, because the band is expected to improvise, to change, to express their own ideas, as the music leads.

i’m thinking that the model of the Tabernacle is God’s “jazz chart” for us on how to get into His presence, and thus hear His voice. without any other leading, we begin at the beginning and follow this FORM (not formula). as the Spirit leads, we improvise on the melody, expanding it, re-shaping it.

however, the mature jazz musician will always imply, with respect, the original tune. he or she has studied this tune, burned the chart into their mind, and made the original intent of the song a part of their DNA, as it were. and thus, we should never stray too far from the Tabernacle and it’s meaning. when we worship, we are reflecting God and His attributes, and part of that is showing His will in the Tabernacle expression.

i saw an ad for a “Praise & Worship Fakebook” and my first thought was that the Bible is the only one we need…..course, I clicked through and checked out the song listings…..you know….

is it a formula we are to follow blindly every time? no. does studying it reveal more of who He is and what He is? absolutely!  and in the absence of other considerations, i say “follow the chart!!!”

I’m starting to put it together, after all these years. I’ve always known that worship and intercession and prophecy were three sides of the same coin (so to speak…). So studying prayer and studying the Tabernacle….hmmmm…

God speaks to us in the Holy of Holies. When we go to pray, we are seeking Him, right? When we go to worship, we are seeking Him, right?

So we start OUTSIDE the tabernacle, and begin by going through the gate. “Enter His gates with thanksgiving” has to be the first thing, in this template, this blueprint. and we begin…

Thank you, Father, for sending your son to us. For providing a way to you. For creating us to be children in Your Kingdom. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

you are built to go where you look. you are built to sound where you believe you are going.

as air supports life, so is sound to spiritual forces.

God can’t stay away from sounds made in His honor.

religion doesn’t like volume, because they don’t have control.

generations create style. but style can create a generation.

there are 3 kinds of music. God→Man, Man→God, Man→Man.

Psalm 42 - God has ascended amidst shouting.

Psalm 32:7 - Sounds & songs of deliverance surround you.

you can only go the high places with sounds that propel you.

the sound takes the Word and propels it.

Job 36:26-29 - the noise of the Tabernacle

a thunderstorm must have heat on the bottom.

water vapor rises to an explosion.

thunder is the prelude to water falling from heaven.

so, I am in the middle of an intense teaching regarding the Tabernacle of Moses, the Temples of David & Solomon, and what they have to do with worship. i’ve always been interested, but started a couple of months ago REALLY digging in. then, this past weekend, I heard an amazing, in-depth teaching on that very subject at BHM’s conference in Atlanta. God’s timing is PERFECT!

what is on my mind, and what has come out of this focus, is how IMPORTANT to the Christian life this worship thing is. it seems that every important facet of the Way is embodied in the Lord’s template He left for us. studying God’s Word? it’s in there, just go to the Laver, which is what cleanses you before entering the Holy Place. wanna hear God’s voice? get into the Holy of Holies, ’cause that’s where He speaks to you.

it’s almost as if EVERY dynamic of this walk we are on comes out of the heartbeat of worship. that worship continually, prayer without ceasing, being “in the Spirit”….it’s ALL THERE.

and it is in that beautiful, creative, artistic place of bowing down before the Creator and COMMUNING with Him, that ALL of the action takes place; our very reason for existing here!!!

your thoughts? hit “Comments”

Nancy Beach, of Willow Creek, writes this:

Sally made a point that she believes the worship subculture is in a major decline, and that we need to have the guts to start over and re-invent together what our gatherings should be going forward. I share her concerns that much of the Christian worship music all sounds alike, and is easily distinguishable from where secular music has gone. I also believe that our gatherings have become far too predictable, dependent almost exclusively on music and teaching while abandoning many other art forms and communication tools.

what she is referencing is this article from Rev magazine where Sally Morgenthaler, author of the seminal book, Worship Evangelism, questions many of the conclusions that came out of her book. the ‘revolution’ of contemporary music and well-produced excellent services in our churches has not reached the un-churched has so many believed it would.

church growth, while lip service is paid to reaching the lost, has continued to be concentrated in the ALREADY churched, and in the attempt at being relevant, the church has lost its primary focus.

i believe that PART of the problem is that the worship is clean-cut. contemporary and trendy. expensive jeans, complicated shoes, and a COOL hairstyle to go along with whatever new worship song has come down the pipeline. at one point, I too bought into the idea that excellence and relevance was the ticket.

NO MORE. i believe that worship leaders and churches, who look to bring their own, authentic expression into worship, will attract others who sense the honesty. not just from the worshipers, the artists…but from the real, tangible Presence that will dwell there.

I have no pleasure in any man who despises music. It is no invention of ours: it is a gift of God. I place it next to theology. Satan hates music: he knows how it drives the evil spirit out of us. - Martin Luther

there is so much unrealized potential in worship in the church today. if worship can usher in the Presence of God, and the Presence of God can allow the Holy Spirit to move in power, then worship can bring about all of the gifts: healing, deliverance, prophecy, discernment.

so, we must make room for the Spirit to dwell, to do the Lord’s work. and one of the most important dwelling places is TIME. i think worshipers have to develop the skill of WAITING on God, something very difficult to do in this constantly connected, entertaining world.

the best restaurants are known for food AND service. what do we go to on Sunday mornings (or whatever time your newfangled church meets <wink>)? a SERVICE. who is responsible for your dining experience? the chef and the WAITers. but so many “services” have time constraints, serving the clock or the special interests. why even go to church if our main motivation is to get out early and beat the church across the street to Luby’s?

and yet here is where either the analogy breaks down, or becomes TOTALLY enlightened, depending on whether you “get it” or not: when we WAIT on God, His Spirit becomes the server, bringing us the gifts, food for our spirits.

the music ITSELF is a gift from God (Luther, above) and yet when we exercise it, quelling our own need for entertainment but fully walking TRI-DIMENSIONALLY in those gifts and WAITING on Him, then He will be faithful to do what He said He would do - dwell among us, minister to us as we COMMUNE with Him.

keep an eye on this space as we breakdown what some of these terms are really all about, and how they relate to us

seriously, watch the whole thing.

this is a powerful document, written by Jason Harms, that can guide our way, in worship becoming art:

God was pleased to make man, and God made man with the capacities to create. Apart from God, man would not be, nor would man have any artistic, creative ability. Therefore, to engage in any artistic expression of man as though it were apart from God, is to both dishonor God, the Author of man and of artistic expression, and to deny ourselves the full pleasures that God has intended for our enjoyment in art; culminating in our enjoyment in Him, through Jesus Christ.

read the rest here: the artist’s creed

Leonard Jones’ blog post of May 29, 2007:

I witnessed an interesting thing last night. I went to see an older jazz pianist by the name of Herbie Hancock in concert. My friend Gary Lunn, who plays bass on most of our CD’s, called me and said they would be in Charlotte and that I needed to see them. I knew the bass, player Nathan East, and the drummer, Vinnie Caliutta, were not believers. At one point in the concert, Nathan threw his head back and inaudibly started worshipping the Lord, exulting in the music and offering it up to God. It was so amazing! The audience probably just thought he was having a good time, but I could see worship on him. All of us can do this at anytime, anyplace; it brings the kingdom geographically wherever we stand.
LEO

thing is, I have seen/experienced this my whole life. I mean, there are not a lot of musicians who have walked in sacred & secular musical circles simultaneously (barring the pros with a church “gig” - is that a bad way of putting it?), and I have experienced intense, worshipful, spiritually musical moments during a secular “gig”. for that matter, I have experienced a LOT of dry, passionless, performance-oriented worship IN CHURCH.

so, with that in mind, I keep looking for the reason why most worship music has been so musically UN-satisfying to me. one could argue that if it is pleasing the SOUL (the musicality) then it is not focused on pleasing God, but my experiences “in the world” have proven to me otherwise. is it th