Devotional Classics, you've forever impacted my life.

For the Essentials in Spiritual Formation Certificate Studies with Dan Wilt

It's hard to believe nigh on four years ago I started this journey into the depths of riches and community found at worshiptraining.com.  What a life-changing experience this has been and continues to be as I complete the final assignment for my Certificate in Worship Leadership Studies.  Thanks, Dan, for dreaming and birthing such an incredible learning community.  I am forever grateful.

Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, the revised and expanded edition edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith, is a compilation of devotional readings selected from the writings of the saints across the ages.  These writings "aim at the transformation of the human personality.  They seek to touch the heart, to address the will, to mold the mind.  They call for radical character formation.  They instill holy habits" [1].

These classic writings are divided into seven sections. Each section lays out a feast of the richest of foods for the soul, gleaned from men and women whose writings give us "perspective and balance" [2] and reveal the need and desire to be formed in our own lives by the love and goodness of God as manifested through the lives of the authors.  

In Preparing for the Spiritual Life, I am challenged to create space for intentional spiritual formation in my life.  While costly, it is far more prudent than the alternative. C.S. Lewis wakens me to awareness that demands are always being made on me and I must choose from where those demands will be met.  He teaches me how to come out of the wind, so to speak, and into the peace where I can be directed by the Voice of the One.  This quote from Dallas Willard I’ve written on a note card I carry with me to commit to memory:

Nondiscipleship costs abiding peace, a life penetrated throughout by love, faith that sees everything in the light of God’s overriding governance for good, hopefulness that stands firm in the most discouraging of circumstances, power to do what is right and withstand the forces of evil. In short, it costs exactly that abundance of life Jesus said he came to bring (John 10:10) [3].

The Prayer-Filled Life uncovers a gold-mine of thoughts on how to live a life of prayer.  I struggle to find moments of solitude and silence, but when I read Henri J. M. Nouwen’s piece on “Bringing Solitude into Our Lives,” I found a nugget of wisdom that had yet to occur to me: “But we do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.  We may have to write it in black and white in our daily calendar so that nobody else can take away this period of time [emphasis mine]” [4].  I realized that whatever appointment I wrote in my calendar I tended to keep, so I tried it out, penciling in at 6:00 a.m.  “Solitude and Silence,” and wouldn’t you know, I kept that appointment fairly consistently from then on!  And while I’m no longer regularly waking at 6:00 a.m. (different season requiring different schedule), the discipline wore a groove in me to rise, light a candle, and spend time in prayer and meditation as a way to center my day on the One from whom all life flows.

The Virtuous Life encourages me to develop holy habits that keep me in a lifestyle of dying to self and becoming increasingly alive in Christ.  These habits include obedience, perseverance in the race, goodness, love and know God, denial of self, sobriety, resisting and learning from temptation, devotion to God, temperance, communion with the Trinity, etc.  Richard Rolle’s “The Spiritual Flame” inspired the poem here, and I am quickened to develop these holy habits by this quote from Thomas a Kempis: “The beginning of all evil temptations is an unstable mind and a small trust in God” [5].

The Spirit-Empowered Life creates desire to connect more deeply with the Spirit of God who is alive and active in me so that, in the words of Thomas Kelly, I might conduct my “inward life so that [I am] perpetually bowed in worship while [I am] also very busy in the world of daily affairs” [6].  This discipline calls me to an inward life that is in perpetual peace being centered on the Spirit rather than on the tumult without. “For God himself works in our souls, in their deepest depths, taking increasing control as we are progressively willing to be prepared for his wonder” [7].

The Compassionate Life calls me to commit to a life of being the hands and feet of Jesus to those around me, not by imposing my thoughts and beliefs on others; rather, I do it through understanding and compassion and doing the good I can.  John Woolman puts it like this: “…where people are sincerely devoted to follow Christ and dwell under the influence of his Holy Spirit, their stability and firmness through a divine blessing is at times like dew on the tender plants around them, and the weightiness of their spirits secretly works on the minds of others [8]. Hannah Whithall Smith cautions against the constant burden of a life of compassion when it is lived out of obligation rather than love.  The solution to this is the complete giving over of self to Him in complete trust so that He can “work in you to will as to bring your whole wishes and affections into conformity with His own sweet, and lovable, and most lovely will” [9].

In The Word-Centered Life emphasis is placed on the Scriptures and the sharing of the Gospel. I love how E. Stanley Jones brings it down to three habits that Jesus demonstrated: read the Word, pray, and teach.  He also encourages me to “Enlarge the area of [my] conversion, taking in fresh territory every day” [10], challenging me to make sure I am intentional about adding to my basic faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.  Madame Guyon takes the ordinary reading of the Bible and teaches me to slow down and take each word one-by-one and allow the truth and the meaning to sink into the very fibers of my being.

The authors of the Sacramental Life section remind me that all of life is sacred; there is no such division of secular life.  Chesterton introduces me to the joy found in monotony.  Repetition is worked into the fabric of creation by the Creator Himself who delights in the “do it again” of the sun rising and setting bringing purpose to the everyday tasks and guards against them becoming mundane. Staying mindful of the One for whom these tasks are being done keeps me in an attitude of worship instead of drudgery (thanks, Brother Lawrence!). I love how Annie Dillard describes her experience of truly seeing past the “mind’s muddy river, this ceaseless flow of trivia and trash” [11] to the beauty of the Presence:

So I blurred my eyes and gazed towards the brim of my hat and saw a new world.  I saw the pale white circles roll up, roll up, like the world’s turning, mute and perfect, and I saw the linear flashes, gleaming silver, like stars being born at random down a rolling scroll of time.  Something broke and something opened.  I filled up like a new wineskin.  I breathed an air like light;  I saw a light like water.  I was the lip of a fountain the creek filled forever; I was ether, the leaf in the zephyr; I was flesh-flake, feather, bone [12].

Oh the riches of the wisdom and the knowledge of God these wonderful saints of God reflect!  I am richer.  I am wiser.  I am more in love with the God of the universe having read the writings of these fellow travelers into the heart of God.  And I have only merely scratched, no brushed, the surface of all that is contained within this book.  So while the assignment is to write a summary of Devotional Classics (a task I find impossible to do), it is more like a small drop of the nectar that Richard Foster and James Smith saw fit to include within.

I am so thankful to have read and re-read and will read again.

1 Devotional Classics: Selected Readings for Individuals and Groups, revised and expanded, edited by Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith (New York: HarperCollins Publisher, 2005), 1

2 ibid, 1

3 ibid, 16

4 ibid, 82

5 ibid, 151

6 ibid, 174

7 ibid, 177

8 ibid, 231

9 ibid, 240

10 ibid, 285

11 ibid, 347

12 ibid, 346

Water

Blue Hole, so named for its deep, spring-fed waters, takes my breath away as I leap from burning rock of summer heat and plunge into its chilly depths.  Popping up above the surface, an invigorating contrast in temperatures creates a tug-of-war within my body that longs to repeat the adventure while at the same time insisting on avoiding it.

Dripping wet, I emerge from the river to do it again.

Why?

Because something happens to enliven this heart as I crawl up the rocky slope to "towering" cliff.  Something breaks when I step across the chicken line and with a "1-2-3" jump off and hold my nose.  

In the repetition of the day-to-day lived life of wake and sleep, eat and clean, wash and dry, teach and correct and repeat, the adventure my heart needs and somewhere longs for gets muffled, even numbed, as the layers of assumed responsibility pile on and the urgent takes a permanent shot-gun seat, nearly silencing the important voice that whispers to me of healing and beauty and simplicity and nurturing and dreaming and living.

Honestly, I prefer warm-to-hot water to bathe or swim in.  There is no shock to my system or need to "get used to" it or blue lips or chattering teeth or shivering limbs. But water comes in all temperatures and sometimes what I want is not necessarily what I most need.

And that is why I jump into Blue Hole every summer.  I need that invigorating wake up in my system that reminds me there is more to life out there than what has become comfortable because sometimes the comfortable is really not functioning very well and needs the uncomfortable to come and shake things up a bit to get me to what's best.

I don't swim it alone.  Families together swim and jump.  My children make the climb with me and in delighted peals and shouts and screams we splash into the Frio River.  Many others go before us.  Still more go after in a perpetual loop of jumps and screams and "do it agains."

There is the intentional connection of togetherness created in this moment that reminds me I am not in the adventure alone.  We prod and encourage each other, reminders that the plunge is indeed worth the shock and the heart-leaping-into-throat.  Community gives me perspective and helps refresh my memory on the important things in life and brings wholeness where I didn't know or remember I needed it.

And so I jump into Blue Hole again, listening to the cheers and laughter of those around me, joining in the calls and shouts to others in need of encouragement to take the plunge yet one more time.

For the Essentials in Spiritual Formation Certificate Studies with Dan Wilt

"Fire!"

I yelled it loud, I yelled it long
From deep within
The song went on
Birthed in freedom
The moving Spirit
Flowing through
The Story

Wild adventure
Destiny
Purpose
Breathing passion
Ablaze with glory

Strength to draw on
Heart now tended
Burning hot
In singular flame
Trusting the restraint
And purpose

Drawing now
In centered focus
Compelled by love
No longer striving
In His power
Walking forward
Ever onward
In the midst of
Holy Fire


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Blow, Wind, blow

The chaff, take it!  Blow it far away.
It's cluttered my life too long
Hindered my view
Crippled my gait
Kept me in perpetual cycles of guilt

Blow, Wind, blow!
And hold me in the howling waste
Until all is swept away, left clean
Then fill me with Your living voice
Your beauty that awakens breath

Renew
Refresh
Help me remember
Present in this moment
The gifts so freely given

Away, fear, away!
My sails are lifted high
To catch this wind that blows
This boat so small
In sea so wide*
It's love I'm voyaging upon
Within

My heart alive
Inspired to dream
Hope springs anew
As rhythms thrum
His heartbeat strong
Throughout this life reborn
Again

And again and again and again
Again
He never tires of blowing wind
Of chaff released
Of spirits lifted
Of life growing
Catching vision
Learning
Longing
Living
Loving

Blow, wind, blow!

For the Essentials in Spiritual Formation Certificate Studies with Dan Wilt
*song by Garrett Viggers "Brendan {Celtic Saint}"

The noise inside my head

Step out of the wind, he says
Easier said
Not so easily done
Relentless
Pounding
Words mount like
Uneven book stacks
Ready to topple
At smallest movement

I breathe
Try to remember
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken lips
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken thoughts
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken trust

Each morning the same
More noise
Inside my head
Unbidden
Unwelcome
Crowding and jostling
For attention
Like toddlers
With no manners

I breathe
Try to remember
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken lips
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken thoughts
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken trust

Cacophony
Not symphony
These parts don't know their places
Noisy
Unruly
Their claims audacious
They wobble
Tipping over
Falling to the floor
Spilling out the door

I breathe
Try to remember
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken lips
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken thoughts
Jesus
His whispered name
From barely woken trust

For the Essentials in Spiritual Formation Certificate Studies with Dan Wilt

Summary: Introduction to Christian Worship by James F. White

For the Essentials Red in Worship History Certificate with Dan Wilt

Christian worship is a vast field of personalities, colors, and expressions across the world that vary from culture to culture and individual to individual.  What is it that unifies us while allowing for unique and creative expressions to emerge?  What foundational tenets of worship ground us and yet free us at the same time to reveal the image of God in us to those around us?  In Introduction to Christian Worship, James F. White discusses the history behind what we mean by worship, how time and space define our worship, and the ways we communicate our worship through word and sign.

 Christian worship is most easily explained by what it does than by what it is.  “Worship…sums up and confirms ever afresh the process of saving history which has reached its culminating point in the intervention of Christ in human history, and through this summing-up and ever-repeated confirmation Christ pursues His saving work by the operation of the Holy Spirit.” [1] Worship reminds us anew of what God has done, what He is doing, and what we can look for Him to do in the future.  We are reminded that He is the same “yesterday, today, and forever” [2], and, thus, we look to His saving acts in the Scriptures and in our lives and remember that as He has done in the past, so He is doing today and will do again.

Worship also reminds us of who we as the body of Christ are.  We are objects of His love, saved and redeemed, that we might bring this same love to those who do not yet know the Source of this love.

The worship we give God glorifies Him and in the same motion brings us into a more rightly aligned relationship with Him.  As we attribute worth to God, He reveals to us our true worth to Him.  This takes place as we worship together, otherwise known as common worship, and in private, or personal devotions. [3] It occurs in the classical liturgical families (seven within the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches) and in the Protestant liturgical traditions (Anabaptist, Reformed, Anglican, Lutheran, Quaker, Puritan, Methodist, Frontier, and Pentecostal/Charismatic) “representing the ability of people to preserve expressions and thought forms natural and dear to them.” [4] Worship within each of these families or traditions take on both a constancy found in the various service books associated with each group as well as a spontaneous form which allows for the “using of the various gifts of differing people for the benefit of the whole gathered community.” [5]

Space and time are important components of the Christian community.  God reveals Himself to His people through time, through history.  “Without time there is no knowledge of the Christian God.  For it is through actual events happening in historical time that this God is revealed.” [6] Since the beginning of creation, time has been the structure upon which key events are hung to aid us in remembering who God is and how we are to relate to Him. 

In the Old Testament, God set up feasts that created a rhythm of worship rich with symbolic and prophetic meaning, pointing to the Messiah.  These feasts continued to be celebrated by the early church with the added understanding of the revelation of Jesus in the elements of the celebrations.  By the 4^th century, following an edict by the Emperor Constantine, the early church shifted from the traditional Jewish Sabbath as the day of rest to Sunday being both the day of celebration (of the resurrection) and worship as well as rest.  Holy Week also became established as traditions began to form around the biblical dating of the crucifixion and resurrection.

It is interesting to me to note that the forming Christian calendar began to take prominence over the already established feasts upon the popularization of Christianity by Emperor Constantine and the subsequent banning of all Jewish practices. While I am thankful for the creative expressions that have arisen in the centuries since the resurrection, I believe it to be important for believers to rediscover the riches of God revealed through the feasts which the early church most definitely would have celebrated and understood. 

That said, the Christian calendar does provide a structure and a constancy of remembering that facilitate the development of spiritual disciplines that strengthen and ground us in our worship of God.  “These cycles save us from a shallow spirituality, based on ourselves, by pointing us to God’s works instead…The Christian year is a means by which we relive for ourselves all that matters of salvation history.” [7] 

As God reveals Himself through time, He also is present in our space.  In order for us to worship Him together, we must create a space, however large or small, for people to gather.  The space we choose shapes our worship, so we must be intentional in its design.  Liturgical space takes into consideration the functions and expressions of worship as a gathered body, providing both flexibility and intimacy.  It serves the community and creates and fosters beauty through art and music.

Beyond time and space, our worship is expressed through the “spoken word and acted sign.” [8] The spoken word can be found in both public prayer and the service of the word.  “Daily public prayer…is a response not just to word and sacraments but to the totality of daily experience, the sun coming up , the squabbles in the family, the tedium of work. “ [10] We come together to express our thanksgiving, our angst, our praise to God…to pray together and for each other.  

Christian worship through the service of the word is made possible through the Jewish structure of worship.  “Survival, for Israel, meant the ability to remember God’s actions that had made them a distinctive people.” [11] For the Jews, worship “became a way of teaching and transmitting the corporate memories of a people with whom God had covenanted.” [12] Throughout the centuries, the service of the word has taken on many forms - from sparse and direct to elaborate and complex.  Most often it has contained the reading of the Bible, preaching, prayer, and songs with variations of emphasis according to the tradition in which it was being celebrated.

The acted signs of worship are those “sacraments which make God’s love visible.” The word and sign “reinforce each other.  A handshake does not compete with a spoken greeting, each strengthens the warmth and meaning of the other.” [13] Taking objects and combining them with words and actions reveal the ways in which God has made, and continues to make, Himself known.  

James White divides the sacraments into three categories: initiation, the eucharist, and journeys and passages.  Initiation includes such as baptism, laying on of hands, and anointing.  The eucharist is the most common sacrament of all, celebrated daily and weekly in congregations cross the world and is patterned after the Passover supper that Jesus celebrated with His disciples just prior to His death.  Those related to journeys and passages refer to such sacraments as pastoral rites, healing, ordination, reconciliation, etc. 

These are meant to be experienced, embracing the mysterion of God giving of Himself, not creating a precise theology but rather a place for a divine experience.  They “depend upon what use God makes of them, not on human moral character, ability, or intentions.” [14] God gives Himself to us through them enabling us to give ourselves to others in more profound ways. 

James White gives a comprehensive overview of church history that helps open up understanding to the ways of Christian worship today.  I look forward to delving more into areas that peeked my interest and am thankful for the deeper understanding and appreciation I have for all of the church families and traditions as a result of reading this book.

1 James F. White, Introduction to Christian Worship, revised edition (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1990), 27

2 Hebrews 13:8

3 James F. White, Introduction to Christian Worship, revised edition (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1990), 34

4 ibid, 42-44

5 ibid, 45

6 ibid, 52

7 ibid, 73

8 ibid, 122

9 ibid, 123

10 ibid, 137

11 ibid, 142

12 ibid, 143

13 ibid, 165

14 ibid, 189

Wind: An Inspired Life

Beauty, Heroes and Dreams

“Wind speaks of our need to lift our sails into the wind, to learn the arts of riding the winds that are sent to us, and working with God to manipulate our sails so that we can get to where God has invited us to go.” [1]

A relief to know it’s not all up to me…relief to know that I can lift up my sail to the wind of the Spirit and allow Him to blow and direct my life.

Doing that doesn’t come easily, however.  My desire to control, to know, and to understand often overrides my desire to flow, to rest, and to sail by the Spirit.

It is through the spiritual discipline of quiet and rest that I find strength to live the inspired life, a life full of passion, full of love, full of a sense of mission that goes beyond myself and reaches into the depths of the love of Christ that I might join in His mission of seeing “humanity restored, new creation coming in people and in the cosmos and deliverance coming to Israel.”[2] Spiritual discipline exposes the deep places of my heart to beauty, heroes and dreams.

Intentionally building moments of beauty into my life for inspiration opens up space for God to refresh and refill me with His Spirit, so I feel as if I’ve been “’lifted and struck’ like a bell,” [3] my life ringing with purpose and promise.

I need to find heroes whose lives are an inspiration to me, those who help me remember that “God has placed greatness in [me], by reflecting that greatness in themselves.” [4]  I must purpose to spend time learning from them, seeing Jesus in them.

Dreaming with God reminds me I am part of something bigger and that He has not left me alone; rather, He longs to fill my life with His strength so that every moment of every day might be lived from a strong center, confident that He has woven treasures of inspiration throughout my day.  These golden threads can be found no matter how mundane or routine the task, and learning to “be inspired in the midst of…duties” keeps me childlike, doing the same thing over and over again “through excess, not absence of life.” [5]

G.K. Chesterton says, “…grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony.  But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony…It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them.” [6]

May I grow in my ability to lean into the wind, finding inspiration in beauty, heroes, and dreams.  May I never tire of loving in the midst of duty.  May I always find beauty in my surroundings and be inspired to live fully present, reflecting the greatness of God in the ordinary and extraordinary of every-day life.

1 Dan Wilt, Essentials in Spiritual Formation digital book, 15
2 ibid, 19

3 ibid, 17

4 ibid, 17

5 ibid, 18

6 ibid, 18

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Earth: the grounded life

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Embrace a grounded life.  A firm foundation beneath our feet will enable us to act lovingly, passionately and substantially in the world - and will lead us increasingly to be conformed to the person and likeness of Christ.

~Dan Wilt in elemental*life: The Formation of the Creative Soul

Lately, it seems I feel anything but grounded.

I desire to embrace and pursue a grounded life, yet today emotions blow this way and that as uncertainty and doubt creep in, and I am feeling untethered and tossed about by waves and wind.

Momentarily, I find my footing, reminded to demolish every imagination that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, but sometimes the imagination appear so stealthily that I have spent a good deal of time interacting with it before I recognize it for what it is.  By that time, the erosion is felt, that gradual rubbing away of destiny and identity and confidence and grace.

Questions surge and bellow and roar.  Accusations, condemnations, and angst fill my heart; squeezing the love, joy, and peace to one side.

It's not always this loud and boisterous.  Mostly they ride below the surface, a quiet murmur in the back of my mind, muffled by calm waters and clear skies.  I can almost forget they're there.

Almost.

But then something happens and the veneer wears thin and the background noise catapults to the forefront.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing?"

"Maybe they'd be better off in school."

"You're not preparing them well."

"You call this academic excellence?"

"Are you sure this is important?  Well, are you?"

"What if they're not getting all they need?"

"What if you're failing them?"

"What if your not teaching them everything they need to know?"

Ad nauseam.  And these are just the ones that correspond to homeschooling.  I haven't even begun to list the others that flit or slide or saunter or inch through, each waiting to see if I'll take notice, if I'll bite.

I must admit I've bitten more than once recently.  Sunk my teeth deep into the delectable, decadent, donut of self recrimination.

Imaginations.  All of them.  And not the creative kind.

Casting them down, though, feels like so. much. work.  And I'm tired, tired of the battle, tired of the external voices that reinforce the internal parade, tired of not being more grounded.

Vicious cycle this.  Time to get grounded again.  Time to get back to the discipline of early rising and early manna and early drink.  I can't do without, even for a short time (and it's not been that long ago that the pattern of wake and sunrise and Word and journal was broken).  Sure I can survive on less, but this living on less is not really living at all when the first fruits of the day are eaten up by imaginations that are vapors of nothingness that suck life.

So I'm filling my kettle with water, readying my candle on the table, setting out Bible and journal and favorite pen.

Tomorrow is a fresh day.

from 2 Corinthians 10 in the Message:

The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.

and from the King James Version

⁴(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
 ⁵Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ

You are about to fly!

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"We want transformation, but without cost.
We want to become who we were designed to be, but without long processes and enduring hardship.
We want the dream of being formed into Christ's likeness yesterday,
And that dream to be mingled with tangible successes in other spheres of life today."
~Dan Wilt [1]

I remember being an exchange student, longing to instantly speak Spanish so I could communicate.  I wanted the gift of tongues and I wanted it stat. 

It wasn't that I hadn't studied Spanish or that I wasn't trying.  I had studied, for three years, and I was trying, desperately.  But God chose to not subvert the process of language learning for me, and I went through not a few grueling weeks and months struggling to learn to understand and speak a foreign language.

I always look back to that experience as an exchange student as the hardest and most life-transforming things I have ever experienced in a year.  I've lived quite a bit since then, but that year served to set some pivotal things in motion in my life that forever changed me.

Spiritual formation is a lot like that. 

I want it yesterday, to be like Christ, to speak the language of the Kingdom effortlessly...I've been at if for nigh on 35 years, now.

But there is this process...

Bill Johnson says, "God is looking for a people willing to embrace the process."

Am I?

Most of the time.

There are days, though when I wonder if this process isn't about over.  Dan says it this way:
"Your dream is an ache inside you, demanding that you stay still and present long enough for the wings to fully form and the colors to become vibrant like a fine wine becomes mature...You consider 'self-sabotage,' putting your dream on pause and taking the easy way out..."

How often have I longed to take the easy way out by turning away from my dreams, abandoning the process?  Too many.  The wait seems long, the pain too great, the dream dims and I wonder what I was thinking anyway.

But Dan says, "You are about to fly, my friend.  Don't give up now!" [2]

This thing called spiritual formation is costly, but the alternative, I've come to believe, is far more costly still.  You see, I've been uniquely given something to do that shows who God is [3], that reveals an aspect of His character to the world around me, impacting it for eternity.

I must fly because it is who I am.  To not fly is to not live.  And to not live is not an option, not since I've chosen, and been chosen, to walk in the Kingdom of light.  Already there are too many of us out there who have forgotten who we are, Whose we are.  We've lost sight of the fact that submitting, even embracing, the process of spiritual formation, while costly, is so totally and completely worth it.

To do otherwise means to live a dull life, with muted color and lack-luster hues and dissonant notes.

And I don't know how long this process is or when my dream will come to fruition or even if I'm dreaming the right dream, but that's ok because the Dream-Maker has my dream in His hand and He values me and loves me and is even now working in this process, to make me more like Him.

And you, what dreams is He forming you for?  Have you lost sight of them?  Has the pain become too great, the road too long, the fire too hot, the flames too cold?  We need you to remember them.  We need you to re-engage with the process.  You, my friend, are about to fly!

"Your life is a gift to the rest of us.  You were designed to live in your element, in that unique way that only you can live in this world.

When you live in your element, the rest of us are impacted - we're grounded, we're inspired, we're empowered, and we're connected to one another.  We are the richer for you allowing yourself to be spiritually formed by God into the amazing creature he gave you to us to be; but we are all poorer when you withhold your permission for God to conform your life to the life of His Son." [4]

Will you give Him permission?  We need you to fly.  You need you to fly.  God needs you to fly.

1 Dan Wilt, elemental*life: The Formation of the Creative Soul, digital book, 3
2 ibid, 6
3 ibid, 8
4 ibid, 7

Essentials in Worship Values

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“Why we lead worship, and who we lead worship for tells us much about how we lead worship.” [1]

Everything in life has the potential to become an act of worship, a response to God’s love for us. In the “gathered worship experience…our great desire and goal is to nurture a people who, through the vehicle of songs, prayers, liturgies, teaching and more, understand how to respond to God from a yielded heart” [2] that will extend beyond the gathered experience into their daily lives. “We create atmospheres that lead people to welcome the Spirit of God to change their lives, their motives, their choices. We open up languages of prayer for those who come, that in turn have the potential to open them up to God.” [3]

Connecting people to God is my passion. I love doing it through worship, art, prayer…over coffee, dinner, or on a walk. But worship is my primary “vehicle” to lead people to God. There is just something about a group of 2 or 3 or 300 come together…the “we” aspect that transforms a very personal experience into a community experience where we as individuals connect to God in an activity we do together.

When we meet, the expression of worship that lends itself most to community is song. Brian Doerksen says, “Why (do) we sing songs in the first place? We do it because it is something we can do together. There are probably other things that we could do to express our love and our worship to God that would be, in one sense, just as valid. But they’re not easy for us to do together.”[4]

But leading worship isn’t just about a set list or the people I sing/play with or the venue where I lead. The most critical substance of leading worship is the values from which I lead. In Essentials in Worship Values, Dan Wilt describes five foundational values that give structure to the worship experience God is calling me to facilitate within my local body. Having these at the center shapes the sound of worship that creates the atmosphere where we can be vulnerable and known to God.

Intimacy

“Intimacy happens when one heart chooses to make itself vulnerable to another, choosing self-offering above self-protection; self disclosure above self-protection.” [5] God is inviting us to a deep relationship with Him, one where He does not protect Himself from us and wants us to be open and vulnerable to Him. It is a “posture, a positioning, of one heart toward another.”

I must value intimacy with the Lord in my private life so that I might lead others to engage deeply with Him through the songs. I need to allow time and space for this to happen, not rushing through the moments when the Spirit is moving on each heart.

Integrity

“Integrity in worship means that we are a consistent people – we don’t just sing what we believe, we sing what we already live.” [6] The way I lead or create or express worship has integrity if it flows from who I am in private. I become a parasite on the people I’m leading if I lead without integrity, taking my identity from them, from how they view me, from their praise and/or rejection. Leading needs to come out of the overflow of my life lived out before God.

Accessibility

Accessibility means creating access point(s) that facilitate people meeting with God. Often times this will mean laying down personal preferences so that I might “facilitate the communication between human beings and God.” [7] “We are playing and creating so that the congregation might find a clear way to lay down the burdens they walked in with at the feet of Jesus, and to meet with Him in worship through the vehicle of the music that we make.

We want our community to engage with God’s story on every level, and to enter intimately into that story as those pursued by a welcoming, accessible God.” [8] We stay aware of who it is that we are leading into worship and ask God how He can best make Himself known to them through our worship.

Cultural Relevance

Cultural relevance does not mean cultural accommodation. [9] Rather, it is leading the way to a connection with God that fits within the context of the culture where I lead. “[It] is the art of creating atmospheres that are authentic to our reality, style, age and goals that build a welcoming and engaging bridge for those who may not be able to build a bridge for themselves.” [10] I trust God to reveal the way to lead that removes barriers and reveals the truth of who He is within the culture.

Kingdom Expectation

Kingdom expectation is expecting God to be the same yesterday, today and forever; to expect Him to reveal Himself in the space that He has helped and led us to create. Jesus’ life was an example of bringing the future Kingdom reality into the present. He declared the Kingdom come and taught His disciple to pray for God’s will on earth as it is in Heaven.

In Heaven, worship is a multi-sensory, living, breathing, exciting, awe-inspiring continual event. We are His “holy, viral carriers of the Kingdom of heaven, reflecting the future day when ‘all things will be made new.’” [11]

God has told us to expect Him to “show up” for us. The way He comes is often a mystery, but in embracing the mystery of who He is along with the revelation of His heart, we experience more of His Kingdom truth in our lives that transforms us further into the people He has called us to be. To not expect Him to come is an “affront to what [He] has offered.” [12] We must lead from a place of belief, trust and Kingdom expectation where God’s presence is expected to manifest in our midst.

As I move into this next season of the formation of who God has called me to be, I desire above all else to stay deep. These core values of intimacy, integrity, accessibility, cultural relevance, and Kingdom expectation keep me centered on the One I am leading others to and demand that I expect God to empower me to do the hard work required for the great privilege of leading His people into a deeper encounter and relationship with Him…

An encounter that will, hopefully, leave them hungering for more of Him and desiring to meet with Him, not just in our corporate worship times, but during the week, as well, where they can continue to experience a connection with Him.

1 Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Values, 4.
2 ibid, 4.
3 ibid, 5.
4 ibid, 5.
5 ibid, 7.
6 ibid, 8.
7 ibid, 12.
8 ibid, 12.
9 Dan Wilt, The Value of Cultural Relevance.
10 Dan Wilt, Essentials in Worship Values, 15.
11 ibid, 18.
12 ibid, 18.

Summary: To Know You More by Andy Park

for the Essentials In Worship Leading Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

To Know You More: Cultivating the Heart of the Worship Leader by Andy Park is full of wisdom and advice for those called to lead worship. Jumping into worship leading as a complete novice, Andy shares from the unique perspective of one who has learned through life experience and has successfully cultivated a heart of worship in his own personal life that has sustained his ability to lead in the public eye for so many years. Andy says, “The most effective trait of a worship leader is a deep love for God and a willingness to express it” [1]. It is obvious as Andy writes that this is what he has.

In the first section, he shares about his own personal journey and the importance of being a worshipper first and foremost in private. “…songs are simply a byproduct of a life-giving relationship with God” [2]. As a worship leader, I must give first priority to my own relationship with God and allow all other activities to flow from that place. Cultivating that place with the Lord privately shields me when temptation comes.

“Being content while others receive more opportunities and favor from people and God has to be one of the top ten most important issues for a worship leader” [3]. The enemy is quick to whisper words of competition and jealousy when someone else gets an opportunity that I have longed for. Trusting God to fulfill His plans and purposes for me over my fears helps me to stay focused on the Lord instead of on what I am not getting to do. Andy shares about his struggles in this area stating, “Rejoicing in the success of others isn’t easy when you feel you’re at the bottom of the heap” [4]. No, it isn’t. Doing it anyway, however, is an opportunity to grow in humility and trust.

Andy also knows what it is like to experience favor from God and man. “John Wimber used to say that tough times are not the greatest test for a leader – the times of exaltation and success are” [5]. Proverbs 27:21b says that “man is tested by the praise he receives.” In Dealing with the Praise and Rejection of Man, Bob Sorge says that ”Rejection and praise are opposite ends of the same continuum with identical root issues.” Learning to deal with rejection by creating the habit of going to God to see what He thinks will serve me well when I receive the praise of man. Regardless, I must go to God to see what He thinks. It is all that matters.

This is why it is imperative that we as worship leaders have our hearts firmly planted in Christ. Our identities begin and end there. Rooted in Him, we are able to portray to those we are leading a more accurate representation of who God is. “Having a wrong understanding of God’s personality is a huge barrier to the freedom and delight of worship” [6]. Through leading others into the presence of God, we help them find the freedom we have found in our own personal times with the Lord where He is revealing the truth of who He is. “To be really free in worship leading, I have to know that God is fond of me. How can I confidently worship and lead others if I’m not sure how he feels about me?” [7].

When we lead worship, we call people “away from the counterfeit realities of this world” [8] and into the reality of the Kingdom. We give people good, Biblical theology through our song choices that will lodge in their hearts and minds for the days ahead when they are tempted to reenter the counterfeit realities. “Through our music, the Holy Spirit writes on the hearts of men, women and children eternal truths of many colors and hues” [9].

Andy likens creating a worship set to a conversation with God. We bring together a group of songs with lyrical continuity that facilitates the community we are leading into a personal and corporate dialog with the Lord. One must always hold the set loosely, however, leaving room for the Spirit to move on us to change direction, linger a little longer, etc.

"The job of the worship leaders is to vigorously approach God in worship, thereby setting an example and clearing a path for the congregation to do the same" [10]. I love the mental image this quote evokes in me…a picture of one boldly entering the throne room, throwing open the doors and saying “Come on in!”

I need to be in submission to those God has placed in leadership over me. “Serving God is worked out by serving under the leaders he raises up. I trusted God to express his authority in my life through the leadership” [11]. I can rest and know that as He has called me to submit, He will fulfill His plans and purposes for me.

I also need to hone my craft. Taking lessons, practicing, working on skills gives God something “more” to work with. If I am blessed to lead a team, I need to create a rehearsal environment that is enjoyable and allows room for the creative expression of each member while directing the group as a whole. I need to be encouraging and willing to “unselfishly share the platform” [12], mindful of the importance of raising up and mentoring other worship leaders.

Another aspect of worship leading is song writing. Andy encourages us to allow God to use us in our imperfect state to be the conduits for His music. He tells us to write a lot, to guard against fear of rejection and false pride, to persevere in song writing, to worship with our songs, and to fill our minds with truth.

As a worship leader, To Know You More is a great reminder of how imperative it is to prioritize my personal relationship with God over and above all else and how all other aspect of worship leading flow most effectively from that relationship.

1 Andy Park , To Know You More: Cultivating the Heart of the Worship Leader (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 18.
2 ibid, 15.
3 ibid, 22.
4 ibid, 22.
5 ibid, 23.
6 ibid, 42.
7 ibid, 49.
8 ibid, 71.
9 ibid, 96.
10 ibid, 171-172.
11 ibid, 129.
12 ibid, 205.

The Importance of the Inner Life

for the Essentials In Worship Leading Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

If anything, the course on Worship Leading has reminded me of the importance of my inner life. "...my authority to lead people in public is rooted in my secret life with God" [1]. I can be a great musician, an incredible singer, and a super leader all rolled into one person. But if I do not have an intimate relationship with God, if don't prioritize the private stuff, the public work will become too weighty and a cave-in becomes inevitable.

"Lead worship from the foundation of a life that, both privately and publicly, resounds with love, obedience, and honor towards Jesus. Your strongest leadership instrument will become the sound of your life, and your worship leadership will manifest the favor and strength that only God can give" [2].

I've been working on that, or, rather, God's mighty Spirit has been at work within me to root up those things in my life that keep my life from resounding with love, honor and obedience. I'm so grateful for the community of people that He has placed me in that continually spur me on and are so faithful to call out the good work that the Lord is doing in me in the midst of this process.

The Essentials Courses through worshiptraining.com have been a primary tool in the Lord's hand to help strengthen my inner life. I have been challenged to think more deeply, to meditate on truth, to mine the riches of those who have walked this way before. He has given me many ways to commune with Him: music, art, reading, silence.

My favorite times have been those in the early hours of the morning when the house is quiet and the sun is not quite peeking over the horizon. I still suprise myself when I say that. I have not been much of a morning person most of my life, but the sweetness of those early times have left such an impression on my heart. I can't wait to get back to it.

Some of my favorite books that have led me into deeper study of God's Word and His heart are, in no particular order:

Devotional Classics edited by Richard Foster
One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Strengthen Yourself in the Lord by Bill Johnson
Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

What draws you closer to the Lord? What helps you to maintain and strengthen your inner life?

A hobby or a call?

for the Essentials In Worship Leading Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

In The Sound of Your Life, Dan Wilt says "Our interior foundations must be able to bear the weight of our spiritual responsibilities." An uncomfortable process, this strengthening of the interior foundations of my life requires allowing God to shine His light on hidden places in my heart. Unbeknownst to me, God would choose a trip to Guitar Center to expose a lie that was weakening my interior foundation.

I was going to pick out the guitar Lee and the kids had given me as a Christmas gift. Lee and my friend Shelby accompanied me to lend their more practiced ears to aid in my selection.


Lee bought me my my first official guitar for my birthday about 8 years ago, and I love it much. (Actually, my first guitar was a borrowed guitar that never got returned, so I don't really count that one. And lest you think I make a habit of not returning things, I did try to return that particular guitar to the original owner but to no avail. But that's another story...) However, one day last summer, my beloved guitar decided to pop it's bridge. I had it repaired, but the warping and bowing occurring on the face of the guitar was irreparable, and she has become increasingly temperamental. Since I am playing and leading worship more frequently, the need for a new instrument was becoming increasingly apparent. Thus, the Christmas gift.

At Guitar Center, we played several different brands and styles of guitars, Shelby and Lee each giving their more trained opinions about the sound of each one. And surprisingly as I played, I became more and more uncomfortable and overwhelmed...to the point of tears. My sweet husband's generosity and willingness to buy me a guitar beyond what I had imagined coupled with the increasing feeling of insecurity were almost too much for me.

Why are we spending so much money on a guitar for me? I mean, how can I justify the cost of an instrument when it's just a hobby? Doubts and fears and questions surfaced faster than I could process them, and I was ready to leave without the gift, the long-awaited guitar.

Shelby pulled me into a side room, looked me in the eye, and relentlessly pursued the lie (lies?) that she knew was lodged in my heart.

Lie: Leading worship is a hobby.
Truth: It's not a hobby. It's a call on my life.

Another lie: I'm not worthy of this guitar.
The truth: God picked this guitar for me.

And still one more lie: I'm not talented enough to play this guitar.
The truth: That's why I'm taking lessons...lol.

I was so thankful to my generous, loving husband and my discerning loving friend who were with me that day. I had no idea buying a guitar would cause so much consternation or bring up a deep-seated lie in my heart.

But now that it's out in the open and the truth has replaced it, I am gaining more confidence in my guitar-playing...and in worship leading. I am trusting God with this call on my life. His plans and purposes for me succeed. I am becoming all He's called me to be.

God is fond of me

for the Essentials In Worship Leading Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

"To be really free in worship leading, I have to know that God is fond of me...How can I confidently worship and lead others if I'm not sure how he feels about me?" ~Andy Park in To Know You More,49.

As early as I can remember, I have known and sung the song "Jesus Loves Me." I have recited John 3:16. I know God loves me, have told others that God loves them, and have sung countless songs about the love of God.

What I didn't realize until a few years ago, however, is that my heart didn't really believe it. Intellectually I knew the truth, but truth that only resides in the head might as well not be truth at all as what I truly believe is lodged within my heart. I might be able to control my actions out of my mind, but my heart will dictate the motivation behind those actions no matter what my head might try to tell it.

You see, while with my head I believed that God loved me, my heart believed that His love for me is not as great as it is for others, that somehow I was flawed beyond love and that in order to receive His love, I had to be really, really good. Making mistakes meant less love. Doing things correctly equaled more love.

And these thoughts weren't things I could have told you were even there. I had no idea. As far as I knew, I believed that He loved me completely.

It was when I first did Beth Moore's "Believing God" online Bible study that I began to get an inkling that maybe an insidious lie or two about God were lodged somewhere in my heart. Beth says that we act on what we believe, whether those beliefs are in our conscious thought or not. She takes participants through a series of Scripture exercises designed to reveal hidden beliefs that sabotage our lives, however minutely.

And the lies began to surface. Lies like ones I've already mentioned and then some.

Then along comes Bill Johnson. On an apparent whim (I know now that it was totally a Holy Spirit set up!), I signed up for a conference in my area called Texas Ablaze. I didn't know much about the speakers, only that I had recently read an article by one of the them that had resonated strongly with me.

I was blown away.

Every session left me hungry and longing for more of God. Bible reading was revitalized; my heart was awakened to new levels of communion with God. The last night, Bill Johnson spoke. I had never heard of him, and I'll never forget how he started out that service.

"God is in a good mood. He might be angry but not at you. You are hidden in Jesus." The crowd chuckled, at which point he reiterated: "No, I'm serious. God is in a good mood."

Bill went on to drop nugget after gold nugget of profound truth, mined throughout a lifetime of being pursued by God and responding whole-heartedly to that pursuit. I could not write fast enough. My mind and my heart were being renewed at an accelerated pace.

And so marked a point in my journey towards more truth and greater freedom. I began to realize that I had been living under the constant pressure of not wanting to make a mistake so that God wouldn't be angry with me. As I read Scripture with this new, Spirit-breathed perspective, I became convinced that I am in Christ and that I am a new creation. Jesus' work on the cross paid for my sins completely, and His power at work within me is more powerful than the sin that so easily entangles.

God is not waiting to catch me doing wrong things, as my behavior indicated that I believed. Rather, as Beth Moore puts it, God is counting each time I believe Him and act on His truth. He celebrates.

The image I realized that I had was of God, finger poised, ready to shake it at me when I messed up. I was being motivated to make good choices out of fear of His anger rather than out of an understanding of His great love for me.

I could go on and on about the lies exposed and the truth God revealed to me about Himself, and maybe sometime I'll take the time to chronicle those. For now, suffice to say, I am on a journey into the heart of God. With each level I am becoming more and more convinced that not only does He love me, He likes me. He's fond of me and enjoys spending time with me.

And you know what? He is fond of you too. Super fond, really. You are His favorite. He's not focused on that mistake you made yesterday when you yelled at your kids or spent more time on the computer than you should have. He's not focused on your addictions, however horrible and debilitating they might be. He's not focused on your infidelity, your lies, your habitual sins.

No, He's focused on you. You are the object of His affection. And if He points out a sin, it's not to shame you and shake a finger at you. It's so He can reveal His love to you that sets you free. He sees your mistakes and your sins and says: "Hey, look at Me! I love you. You can be free. Let Me love you and show you how."

In "Believing God", Beth gives 5 truths that have been lifelines for me in this process:

1. God is who He says He is.
2. God can do what He says He can do.
3. I am who God says I am.
4. God's word is alive and active in me.
5. I can do all things through Christ.

May you become more fully convinced today of how fond He is of you. May you become increasingly aware of the light of His face shining on you. May you see His kindess leading you to repentance. And may you experience a deep revelation of His love for you that transforms you more fully into the likeness of Jesus so that you might lead others to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

A summary of Tunesmith by Jimmy Webb

for the Essentials In Songwriting Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

Those pursuing the art of songwriting would do well to pick up Tunesmith by Jimmy Webb, a seasoned songwriter with a wealth of insight and knowledge. Weaving stories and personal anecdotes with vital technical and experiential advice as well as giving examples of well-written (or poorly-written) lyrics, Webb has created a valuable resource for even the most novice of beginners, like me. Webb also chronicles the history of modern songwriting and gives an inside view of what it was like in the early days contrasted with today. I found Tunesmith to be engaging and informative on many levels, discovering many principles within its pages that I began applying immediately.

He begins by talking about where songs come from. Webb says, “Song ideas are the most intense longings of the soul and its deepest regrets” [1]. The ideas come from something about which the writer feels passionately (loathing or hating). It will also include a destination which will consume the bulk of the efforts of the songwriter in getting from here to there the best way possible. A good songwriter also stays emotionally connected. “Without being able to expose ourselves to pain – to break down and cry if need be – we won’t have what we need to be songwriters or even human beings. The reverse is true. Without recognizing the good things life has to offer – the priceless gift of the distant laughter of children – we become sour pendants” [2].

Next, Webb moves into what was for me, the most significant part of the whole book. He relates the story of being mentored by Michael Geffen, one of Broadway’s greats. Showing Webb the room he’d be working in, he said, “In this room you can never make a mistake” [3]. At first read, I thought that Geffen was laying down a strict boundary where perfectionism was required. I cringed (which says a lot about the lenses I wear).

What he was really trying to say was that “…there is no crossed-out, blotted word on paper or half-croaked note or stumbling, tripping step toward the songwriter’s goal that is unseemly or shameful…creativity is a blameless process. That to exist at all it must function unselfconsciously and without guilt…The primary ingredient in that tranquility might be to pardon ourselves in advance for any real or imagined inadequacies and approach the work with the attitude that we will see what happens, make the best of it and enjoy the journey” [4].

Moving to the practical aspects of writing a song, he stresses that every song needs a story to tell. That story is told through clear lyrics that make a “meaningful contribution” [5] to the whole of the song. To accomplish this, a songwriter takes the raw materials (ideas) and begins to shape them into a song: “...a magical marriage between a lyric (some words) and a melody (some notes)” [6].

She brainstorms, making lists of words, phrases, feelings to express the idea. He makes use of a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary (never substituting these for creativity). She studies meter and rhyming schemes, counts syllables and checks verb tenses. He eliminates the “less desirable elements in order to expose the more desirable ones” [8] crafting lyrics that stay true to the song idea and lead to the desired destination.

Webb then traces the evolution of a song called “Problem Child”, personally, the second most helpful part of the book. He takes the song from the idea stage and the brainstorming process through the editing and re-write phase to the “finished” product. He explains the reasoning behind changes and points out the ways to make good lyrics better.

The next section of Tunesmith delves into the more technical aspects of song form and musical composition. These chapters hold a wealth of information covering music history and music theory. Webb delivers the information in an easy, conversational tone that makes it understandable and makes me want to go back and study these chapters more in depth when I can absorb more of this useful instruction.

Webb also interviews several songwriters regarding collaboration. Marilyn Bergman who collaborates with her husband says, “The most important elements are trust, respect and willingness to sound stupid. Sometimes a silly idea when put forward by one of us will trigger a really good idea from the other…” [9]. “The major impediment to collaboration is fear, “says Barry Mann who also collaborates with his spouse. “Every collaboration begins with this sense of unwillingness to reveal ourselves as in Oh my god, he’s gonna find out, he’s gonna know I’m a fake, that I don’t know what I’m doing” [10]. Isn’t that the truth! Collaboration requires a good deal of patience and forbearance and the ability to push past the uncomfortable emotions in order to be vulnerable and lay out ideas in front of another human being with a different perspective.

In the final section, Webb explains how the music industry works (or did at the writing of this book). He notes the various challenges facing the modern day songwriter. The advent of the singer/songwriter, MTV, and top 40 radio narrowed the playing field considerably. “A person with real songwriting talent would have had a better than average chance of placing a song with a major recording artist in the decade bounded by 1965 on the one hand and 1975 on the other.”

We are so far removed from that day, although YouTube, iTunes, etc. has in some ways made it easier for music of all kinds (the good, the bad, and the really bad) to get play time. Webb seemingly has prophetic insight into what the future held for music: “…eventually, entire record albums or perhaps even first-run feature films will be downloaded to recordable formats by satellite for a fee, which is paid electronically via credit card or some other code” [11].

In closing, Webb encourages songwriters to write. When one finds himself or herself “cowed, sullen and emotionally dead in the water…a violent, arbitrary and radical change of direction is called for” [12]. He goes on to say that “…the infamous ‘writer’s block’ may be nothing more than a stubborn unwillingness to cure ourselves, a psychomasochism caused by our refusal to confront the truth and put it into the air regardless of repercussions” [13]. He tells us to not burn bridges and to not allow bridges to erode from neglect, to remember that songwriting is best done in community. He emphasizes the importance of holding offenses lightly, choosing integrity over the need to seek revenge in a song.

I found Tunesmith to be surprisingly interesting and helpful and will refer back to it again and again. It is another decided gem discovered through the Essential courses.

1 Jimmy Webb, Tunesmith: inside the art of songwriting (New York: Hyperion, 1998), 3.
2 ibid, 17-18.
3 ibid, 21.
4 ibid, 22.
5 ibid, 52.
6 ibid, 70.
7 ibid, 136.
8 ibid, 271.
9 ibid, 296.
10 ibid, 298.
11 ibid, 375.
12 ibid, 395.
13 ibid, 397.

Songwriting and Responsibility

for the Essentials In Songwriting Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

Writing worship songs carries a weight of responsibility. Songs are remembered long after the sermon has been forgotten. And as important as melody and sound are, the lyrics, the content of the song, the theology being conveyed are more important by far than having a catchy melody. Of course it helps if strong, theologically sound lyrics and well-crafted tune go together...

Worship songwriters also have the responsibility to write the songs the church needs, not the songs the church wants. We need our pastors and leaders to stand alongside of us to write these songs. It's so easy to look first for what will please, what will bring the most approval (that man pleasing spirit at work), but to write the songs the church needs...to release into the atmosphere the songs of heaven that transform and loose the move of God...what an honor! What a privilege!

I want to write songs that are theologically responsible. More importantly, I want to write songs that are the rhema (the "now") word of God to His people...the songs that lodge in hearts and minds and relentlessly work the renewing of the heart and mind according to the Spirit of God.

Doerksen, Brian. Worship Songwriting: Embracing Heart and Developing Skill. Brian Doerksen Music, 2009.

The Perfect Moment

for the Essentials In Songwriting Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

I've spent a lot of time waiting for that perfect moment to come along so that I can do something creative.

Funny thing is, that perfect moment doesn't come around very often, if at all.

My idea of perfect has been wrongly shaped by media: magazines with clean, organized, beatifully decorated living spaces; movies and tv shows that give a distorted view of real life; books that make me long for order that only exists in, well, books and magazines...

In his Worship Songwriting dvd series, Brian Doerksen mentions a songwriting experience he once had with Brenton Brown. Brenton (single at the time) was visiting the Doerksens and had this great song idea to share with Brian, father of 6. Brian is in the throes of holding an unhappy child, trying to calm said child down as it was time for bed. Brenton comes into the room oblivious of the fact that any parent would recognize: this is not a good moment, much less a perfect moment, for songwriting. But Brenton plows ahead and sings what he has so far, asking Brian what he thinks because Brenton is stuck on what to do for the chorus. Brian says: "How about 'Halleluiah'?"

The song being written was none other than "Halleluiah (Your Love Is Amazing)" proving the point that they didn't have to wait in order to write a really great song.

Here's to not waiting anymore for perfect moments and for diving in during the moments of my day. Who knows what song might come out of washing dishes, cleaning up messes, managing disputes, teaching and disciplining children, making supper, doing laundry...

Creativity and Songwriting

for the Essentials Blue In Songwriting Certificate Course with Dan Wilt

I'm in the Certificate Phase of the worship theology courses I've been a part of these last two years, going back through the material and finishing the additional requirements that will earn me a Certificate in Worship Studies. Certainly, just a piece of paper. Most definitely much more than that in terms of growth in depth of understanding of many things related to worship, the passion of my life.

Yesterday I began a dvd series on songwriting for worship titled Worship Songwriting: Embracing Heart and Developing Skill by Brian Doerksen. Doerksen talks about the heart of a songwriter that says "There's got to be more. What I've written up until now is just a glimmer of what is in my heart to write," encouraging us to write, to be willing to take risks, to try anything, to look foolish, and to not fear mistakes.

He references Jimmy Webb who in his book Tunesmith tells of a time when he had been taken under the wing of Broadway master Michael Bennett. Mr. Bennett shows Jimmy the room where he will be composing music and says, "In this room, you can never make a mistake." [1]

At first read, I cringed and thought, "Wow, what a lot of pressure to have to work under, to never be able to make a mistake." But as Jimmy continues, he explains that what was really meant was that "there is no crossed-out, blotted word on paper or half-croaked note or stumbling, tripping step toward the songwriter's goal that is unseemly or shameful...creativity is a blameless process...to exist at all it must function unselfconsciously and without guilt..." [2]

What a relief to hear, and Brian's encouragement to not fear mistakes seems a little more doable in light of there not being anything shameful or unseemly in creative attempts.

Now, creativity will be challenged, even opposed, particularly when it comes to worship songwriting done out of a passion to see God's Kingdom come here on earth as it is in Heaven. There is an opposing kingdom that would seek to destroy the heart of every sincere songwriter and leave it a mangled mess of discouragement, despair, and depression.

That's why it is so important to remember that everything we do out of love and service to God has a part in building for His Kingdom. I can guard my heart and mind with the truth that God delights in my feeble offerings of creativity, whether they be eloquent lines or scribbles of thought, and there is no shame in offering it to God.

Why not write a song today? Scripture says that we are to sing to the Lord a new song (Psalm 33, 96, 98, 144, 149 - to name a few). Go ahead and sing Him a few lines from your heart. Risk a few moments of embarrassment and be willing to look foolish as you reflect the glory of the Lord back to Him in your creative offering.

1 Jimmy Webb, Tunesmith (Hyperion: New York, 1998), 21.
2 Ibid, 22.