Zekie Lovin'

Every morning we have to do “Zekie lovin’”. Zeke the Cat jumps up on the arm of the recliner and paws; I pet and massage him. His favorite place to be petted is right at the base of his tail. Sometimes our morning lovin’ routine lasts only a few minutes; other mornings I’m lucky to get off to work on time.

As I pet and massage him, Zeke’s purrs get louder and louder, filling the room. I continue to stroke my “good boy kittie” until he turns and looks at me with his big green eyes that are full of love and admiration. My heart is full of love back to him. During our routine, nothing else is important except this special bond we share.

We all look for “Zekie lovin’” in our lives – a love and bond greater in itself than the sum of the two parts. A love that transcends and transforms us. A love that only God can provide us.

God not only created us but breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). That breath of God is a part of us that never goes away. But because of our sinful nature, we are unable to reconnect to that breath without faith in Jesus Christ who died to redeem us from our sin. In Romans 3:23-24 we are told that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus”. It is this justification, the process of being made righteous, which allows us to reconnect to the breath of God within us. We become whole, one with the God who loves us. As the result, we desire to bond with God, a bond that is established through worship.

My bond with Zeke is simple. He sits in the chair; I pet. Our bond with God, our worship, should be just as simple. We pray; God listens. We confess our sins; God forgives us. God speaks; we obey. We humbly offer our praises and thanksgivings; God blesses us.

Discovering Spirituality

I am no longer serving in a church. As the result, I feel sad, lost and disconnected.

But I also feel liberated and excited. This is a time of discovery for me. I have the opportunity to pursue my music and my studies because I want to, not because I have to. I can sit at my piano and play for the shear enjoyment, not just practice and prepare for a service. I can attend my voice lessons and truly discover the pleasure of singing, not just fulfill the vocal requirement for my M.A.C.M. degree.

I feel guilty because I am no longer actively serving the Lord. Will God look unfavorably upon me because of this? I discussed this with a spiritual director (http://www.spiritualitynetwork.org/index.html) who reminded me of the Sabbatical Year. Just as God commands us to "remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8), the Bible also instructs us on the Sabbatical / Jubilee year. This refers to every 7th year in which the land is to be allowed to rest "so that the poor of your people may eat; and what they leave the wild animals may eat". (Exodus 23:10-11) In addition, "every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor". (Deuteronomy 15:2)

When we observe the Sabbath, we come before God to draw close and to worship. During my Sabbatical, I have been released from my creditor, the church. I now have the opportunity to draw closer to God in ways that I never imagined, to discover my spirituality, and to worship in new and extraordinary ways. So even though my "land" is lying fallow, this is the opportunity for the "poor" to eat. As I take this time to pray, to study, and to worship, I can only make myself stronger in the Lord's way . Thus I can become a much better servant in order to better minister to others in spiritual need. For if my spirit is not renewed, I can I expect to minister to others?

I am on a new and wonderful journey, anxiously looking forward to that which lies ahead of me.

Developing the Church's Song

Shout to the Lord, all the earth let us sing,

Power and majesty, praise to the King;

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of Your name.

I sing for joy at the works of Your hands,

Forever Iʼll love You, forever Iʼll stand;

Nothing compares to the promise I have in You.

- Shout to the Lord by Darlene Zschech

What is a churchʼs song?

There are many ways to describe the churchʼs song. What begins as a single voice joins with

another until all voices are combined as one. In this united voice, the church:

• Expresses the faith of the body of believers
• Communicates with and worships God
• Shares the remnants of the past, the expression of the present, and the hope for the future
• Expresses its prayers
• Transcends into holiness; into the sublime

Dave White, a student at Trinity Lutheran Seminary, expressed it very eloquently:

“What is the churchʼs song? It is the Word of God proclaimed. It is the joy of the people, the joy of the Lord. It is the lament of those who mourn; the comfort of the Holy Spirit. It is the timeless affirmations of the faith in Christ.” (used with permission)

Music is the medium in which we express the churchʼs song. It is through the texts,

melodies, harmonies, rhythms, pulse, and presentation of song that the church is able to experience something greater than the sum of the individual worshippers.

The song of each church is unique. Each congregation is composed of a unique blend of

musical talents. Each church has its own history, its own present and its own future. It is affected

by those that lead. It reflects the experiences of each worshipper.

The song of each church changes over time. The only thing that remains constant in this

world is Godʼs love for us. As we move through time, each personʼs thoughts, experiences,

and abilities change. The mix of a churchʼs talents change as people come into and leave the

church. In addition, we as both individuals and a church are affected by the changes in the

world around us. Therefore, the song of the church also changes over time and must reflect of the present church life. The process of discovering the churchʼs song is ongoing. It is an essential

part of church growth.

O sing to the Lord a new song;

sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, bless his name;

tell of his salvation from day to day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous works among all the peoples.

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be revered above all gods.

For all gods of the peoples are idols,

but the Lord make the heavens.

Honor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

- Psalm 96: 1-6 (NRSV)

In our worship of God, our goal and desire is to bring His strength and beauty into the sanctuary

of His church.

Making Music

The song of the church is more than just a group of people getting together to sing. It is about

making music in such a way that it can “articulate the individual and corporate faith of the congregation” (Linda J. Clark, Music in the Churches, The Alban Institute, 1994, p. 23) This is done through attention to the following details of worship:

• Planning, Preparation, and Practice: The lack of these three “Pʼs” creates distractions in our worship service. Rather than remembering the scripture texts or the theme of the sermon, many worshippers leave the service remembering only the mistake made by the choir/pianist/Praise Team/Worship Leader/etc.
• Praise, Prayer, and Dedication: It is important that the music represents all elements of our worship. There must be a time of praise, an opportunity for prayer, and a call to service or the opportunity to dedicate oneself to the Lord. To forget one of these elements is to find our worship experience lacking in its ability to uplift us a congregation.
• Cohesiveness: The music should be used to tie the various elements of the service together; it should be used to enhance the flow of our worship. It can be used to help with transitions - moving the worshipper from praise, to prayer, to listening, to a time of introspection.
• Continuity: The music of a service should provide continuity of a theme. It should help reinforce the central theme of the message. That does not mean that all songs have to be the same style, genre or text. But a message should flow gently from one song to another. Example: We are here to worship ==> Because God loves us ==> He cares for us and hears our prayers ==> We give ourselves to Him because of all He has given us.
• Leadership: If the music leadership is not working in unity, it will be impossible for the church to have unity in their song. Our leadership roles must be clear - pastor, musician, Praise Team, choir, music leader. As leaders we must work together as a united team in such a way that we build upon each otherʼs talents so that we bring harmony to our song.
• Familiarity: The foundation of our music should be based on songs that are familiar; songs that have meaning and value to the church and the worshippers within. That does not mean we should not introduce new music to the church. What is important is that we do this in a way that it embraces the congregation rather than excludes them. As a rule, always start and end the service with music that is familiar to the worshippers and introduce new music in the middle or as prelude/offertory. It is important to remember that what is new today may become the foundational music of tomorrow. This is true within our church. I asked a few of the church members to provide me with a list of songs that they felt represented the church. The people who responded represented many different age groups and ranged in length of membership from 3 to 30 years. The songs on almost all lists were: Shout to the Lord, How Great Thou Art, and Shine, Jesus Shine. Interestingly, the first and last songs have been added to the church repertoire in the past 3 years.
• Ease of voice: Songs should be easy for the majority of the congregation to sing. If there are complex rhythms, melodies or harmonies, it is important that those leading the music provide the ability for the congregation to clearly hear the melody and rhythms. Tunes should be transposed as needed. If words are on an overhead, they need to be easy to read and consistent with those being sung by the leaders.
• Spirituality: The Holy Spirit dwells within us as we sing. We need to be free to express how He is working within us. This may be through clapping, the raising of hands, or a special embellishment to the song. Sometimes it may be a change in the program as we move forward in our worship service. We need to remove our self-imposed constraints and create a worship environment in which we feel safe to express how God is working in us.

Growing in Song

...you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,

offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

- 1 Peter 2:5 (NIV)

How to we build our spiritual house so that we can become the holy priesthood that God expect

of us? How do we become the strong vine that is described in Ezekiel 17: 5-6 that brings

forth branches and puts forth foliage?

It is only through continual learning and development that we can grow in our priesthood. Just

like we participate in Bible study, Sunday School and personal readings to better understand

Godʼs message in the scriptures, we must do likewise for our churchʼs song. The songs we

are drawn to in our church are those that express the same messages we seek in the scriptures,

only through a different medium. Learning requires the use of multiple senses - sight,

sound and touch. For us to truly understand Godʼs Word, we must engage in learning that use

each of these senses. Music provides learning through: sight - the reading of the text; sound -

hearing the melody/harmony/rhythm/pulse; touch - feeling the Holy Spirit move within us. Developing an appreciation of new musical styles, formats and genres opens us to experiencing

Godʼs Word in ways we have not yet imagined.

Caring for our Song

What do we need to do to care for our song? By caring for our song, we demonstrate our desire

to care for those around us. In Singing, A Mennonite Voice by Marlene Kropf & Kenneth Nafziger, the authors concluded with the following areas of care for the churchʼs song:

• Care for What is Sung: This care is not only for what is sung but how it is sung. Because singing is such an integral and important part of our churchʼs worship, it needs to be recognized as critical to our spiritual formation. Text must be theologically sound. The delivery of the music must not distract from the songʼs message. The song leader has a tremendous responsibility to the churchʼs worshippers and this position must not be taken lightly.
• Care for Images and Metaphors: Songs of the church carry with them tremendous meaning, memories, and expression for an individual. We need to make sure that our music incorporates the needs of all worshippers - Praise & Worship, Prayer, Calling, Communion with the Spirit, etc. Each of us needs to be able to express our love, our joys, our anger, our doubts, our fears, and our sadness within a worship service.
• Care for the Craft of Music: For congregational singing, it is important that songs become ingrained in the hearts of the worshippers. There must be room for both the old and the new. As the book states, “No era in church music has been without its transient, more popular music.” It is not about using established hymns versus new songs. It is about bringing music into the church that binds our hearts to the Lord. We will carry these songs with us throughout our lives, regardless of when they were written.
• Care for the Churchʼs Role as Patron of the Arts: Many artists have left the church because their songs have not been accepted by their local congregation. These artists leave the church, find acceptance in the secular world, and eventually, their music returns to the church. As a church, we need to open ourselves to the world around us. How can we use our song to change and influence the world? We need to acknowledge, embrace, and nurture that which springs from our love of Christ, whatever its form. There is nothing that is wrong in the eyes of God if it comes from our hearts.
• Care for Hospitality Toward Anotherʼs Song: The book states, “Ultimately, it is an act of hospitality to learn anotherʼs songs.” We need to respect each other enough to open ourselves to those songs that are special to another, even if they are not to our taste. It is this acceptance that builds us into a unique fellowship. We are all different but together in God, we are one body.

  For in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ and individually we are members one of another. Romans 12: 4-5 (NRSV)

• Care for Time Spent Singing Together: Because of the importance of singing, we need to make sure that our worship service includes adequate space for the churchʼs song. This is not an area that should be “cut” to allow time for other aspects of the program. In addition, solo performance must not take away from congregational singing. There is a time and place for each and we should not forsake one for the other. “The singing of the congregation is the most important must that happens in worship...The pleasures of singing are enormous, and the rewards of turning that pleasure toward the praise of the Creator who gave us that gift are infinite.” (ibid)
• Care for the Voice as an Instrument: The human voice should be “treated as a prime means of spiritual expression.” (ibid) We need to be aware that our voices should be honored and not drowned out by the instruments, amplification and the choir. Songs should be sung in a manner that they are easily followed and do not exclude a population of the congregation. “When it becomes clear to a congregation that its voices are not needed, it will most likely choose not to sing.” (ibid)
• Care for the Tradition: It is important to acknowledge the traditions of the church and to not discard them without thought and care. It is many of these traditions that hold the church together. “As John Paul Ledarach said at the conclusion of his story about ʻGod of grace and God of gloryʼ:

  When you choose to walk in the path of justice, peace and reconciliation, take heart in knowing the path has been walked by others before you. Make sure to hold the hand of good friends who will walk at your side. Take a song with you. Put it deep inside so that no matter what happens, its seed can burst forth when you most need it. And know that it is the God of grace and the God of glory who breathes life into the seed and light onto your path.” (ibid)

Conclusion

It is my prayer that this paper, can provide a church with the foundation for discovering and developing its song. Along with prayer, we can discern the will of God for His church so that we can grow and “produce branches and bear fruit and become a noble vine” (Ezekiel 17: 8b (NRSV)) all for the glory of God.

Philosophy of Leading the Church's Song

It has been over a year since I have made a post. I have been using my writing time for school, rather than keeping up on my posts. However, for some of you, I thought you might be interested in my academic writings. So I am going to post them here. Some are "philosophy" of music papers; some are writings from my recent Introduction to New Testament class. I hope you fine some of my thoughts interesting and of value. Thank you for reading!

Philosophy of of Leading the Church's Song.

"A servant-leader is one who chooses to serve, and serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is sharply different from one who is leader first..." – Robert Greenleaf

Robert Greenleaf was an AT&T executive who wrote his first essay entitled, “The Servant As Leader”. In another publication, Servant Leadership Primer, Greenleaf lists the skills and capacities of a servant- leader:

• Listens
• Uses power ethically, with persuasion as the preferred mode
• Seeks consensus in group decisions
• Practices foresight
• Uses language in a way that avoids "closed verbal worlds"
• Practices the art of withdrawal
• Practices acceptance and empathy
• Is a conceptualizer
• Nurtures community
• Chooses to lead

I believe in my role as a music director I need to have these same skills and capacities:

• I need to listen not only to the congregation and pastor of the church I serve, but most importantly to God. I can only serve Him if I seek His guidance by actively listening to His words as He responds to my prayers and mediations.
• I recognize that as a church leader I do have power. However, I need to use this power with divine guidance. And there are times when I need to “sell” (what a nasty word relating to church endeavors!) my goals, ideas, and plans to the church in such a way that they understand that they are spirit-led and that they need the support of the church.
• Collaboration is key to success in a church. I cannot successfully function in my position without the consensus of the pastor, musicians, and music/program committees – from the function of planning programs to selecting music.
• God has blessed me the ability to “see” many things in the future. I continually pray that I may be able to see His ongoing vision for this church that I serve.
• I need to be open to differing points of view. There are times we need to agree to disagree.
• I am learning that there are times I need to put my personal feelings and beliefs aside and accept that there are times when other ideas and beliefs have priority over my own.
• I need to develop an atmosphere of acceptance and empathy within the groups that I lead. Not all voices are created equal but I need to respect the spirit that may be greater than the voice. I need to understand those things that are important to the church – the things that give it its voice.
• I need to conceptualize how new music and genres will challenge the congregation to broaden and deepen their worship experience.
• I need to nurture the congregation by serving as a mentor to /encourager of others who serve in the church music program.
• I conscientiously choose to lead, in its joy and in its pain. I can only do this by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Is it Spring Yet?

I am sick of winter. It's cold, it's dreary, there's too much snow...I want SUN! (OK, I'm done whining now.)

We're in that down time between Christmas and Easter and like the weather, we sometimes get the blahs in our worship. It's easy to fall back into the same old, same old in our worship, in our music, in our lives.

So it's time to bring in some sun into our worship lives. I am blessed because I see the sun on the faces of the choir when we sing. That glow in their faces is because of their love for the Son, a love that is ongoing and ever present. I am blessed because I have the opportunity to work with a music committee that is excited about the opportunity to serve the Lord through the worship arts in our church. I am blessed because I have the loving support of a husband who allows me to grow in my own way. I am blessed because I have teachers that are helping me to stretch my talents and are opening me up to new opportunities.

These are my sun. That despite the dreariness of the weather, I can warm up in the glowing all around me.

Praise God!

(a few days in Florida will help too!)

The Doors Are Opening

I knew that when I made the decision this fall to apply for the MA of Church Music program at Trinity Lutheran Seminary that my life was going to change. I look at path that the Lord is leading me to with both excitement and trepidation. There will be doors opening that I never expected; likewise, there will be challenges and responsibilities ahead of me that I know that I will need His guidance to get me through. But what I did not expect was to see those doors beginning to open so soon!

I recently attended my company's sales meeting. At each meeting, a small group of Christians join together for an hour of worship and Bible Study. Last year I shared with the break out group I was in that I was unsure of the path that the Lord wanted for my personal ministry. That group offered a prayer for me. This year, I announced to the group how that prayer had been answered and received resounding support! Wherever I turned during the meeting, between discussions of how to sell baby formula, therapeutic nutritional products and improve company profitability, there were conversations of need and support as well as opportunities of outreach. It blew me away. I have never felt the Lord's presence in the workplace in the way I did last week. All glory and praises to Him!

So I anxiously await for my seminary classes to begin in a few weeks. I also learned a few hours ago that my position within the church may change (unofficial responsibilities to become official). We'll see later tonight. All I know is that all things are in God's hands. I am His willing servant. And I pray for His guidance in all things that lay ahead of me.

Been Silent Too Long

Sorry I have not made time to continue my posts. As those of you who deal with church music know, preparing for the Christmas season is all consuming. But I have to admit, it was well worth it for us this year. We stepped out on faith and offered our musical nativity two nights - to nearly full capacity! It was truly a worship opportunity for not only those who attended but also for all those who participated. I am blown away by the tremendous talent that resides within this church as well as by the willingness of this church family to help in any way they can. When you have less than a hundred members in a church, EVERYONE becomes involved.

And our youth - WOW! They sang, they danced, they signed, they portrayed the nativity scene, they did the lights....most having multiple roles in the program. I can't say enough of how impressed I am with their displays of faith.

Here is my prayer:

Lord, thank you for all the talent that you have led to this church. Thank you for being with us as we used that talent to worship you and to show our joy for the blessing you have bestowed upon us through the birth of your Son. Guide me in my church ministry to help in the development of this talent so that we might continue to grow closer to you in all that we do. Amen.

(And now it's time to prepare for Holy Week!)