One Small Step in the Fog

It was 40 years ago today that man landed on the moon and took a little walk. We all watched as Neil Armstrong took that little jump and landed on the moon surface. We heard him speak those now famous words, "It's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." All of us were able to finally let out the breath we were holding and then smile and cheer.

I was 11 then. This was a BIG DEAL. It was a big deal because 1969 was a really strange time in America. I don't remember much about it, not because I was doing drugs but because I was still a kid. But I heard about a lot of stuff that was happening. The Vietnam War, protests on college campuses, massive music festivals where youth were "getting high and getting naked" (the getting high part didn't interest me but the getting naked....well, I was entering puberty then).

In many ways 1969 marked and transformed a generation. At least, so we have been told.

But this, this moment, took science fiction and turned it slightly on its ear because now what was only dreamed about had become fact: man was on the moon and it wasn't made of cheese! It was a major feat for the USA, a positive in the midst of a lot of negatives. I suppose it was the shot of hope that America was yearning for. I mean, if we can make it to the moon, walk on the surface and them make it home again (a major feat in itself), well then, we can overcome anything and even change the world.

But we Americans are a rather fickle lot, aren't we? Actually, we humans are a very fickle lot. We grow bored to things pretty quickly. We made it to the moon, now give us another "grander" event. It didn't take long before people didn't pay much attention to rockets going into space (it took a near death crises with Apollo 13 for people to tune back in, briefly). The country didn't get any better; the Vietnam War came to an end, eventually, with a non-victorious crash, but other wars just came up to take its place. The 60's movement of love, peace and music just progressed into sexual disease, selfishness and disco.

And the footprints left on the moon surface got covered over with moon dust.

NASA says thay want to go back to the moon but there are some of those astronauts that have been to the moon and into space who are saying, "We've already been to the moon. Forget the moon. Let's go to Mars." I think it would be pretty cool to go to mars and bring back a bag of rocks from there. I guess the expense would be worth it. I'm not sure what the status of the moon rocks are but I'm sure they served an important purpose in helping humankind progress and better itself.

I've been watching online some of the footage of the moon landing and moon walk. It brings back some memories of being 11, but those memories are foggy. Nothing "major" stands out about then except that a few months after the moon landing I was moving from Georgia to Rochester, NY. That's really all I really remember clearly about that year. Everything else, just a fog. But I know that 1969 and that event of July 20th forever changed me. I just don't have a clue how!

He Keeps Me Moving

It has been a long couple of weeks, filled with emotion and sadness, anticipation and excitement. Over the last few weeks we have been going through the emotional and mental transition of leaving a wonderful congregation that we had grown to love and accepting the inevitable change and appointment to a new church (in the Methodist church, the pastor is appointed to a church by the Bishop), and preparing for the move.

Boxes, boxes everywhere. As each day passed, more and more of our house got stuffed into a box and furniture that had finally molded to our personality and body shapes found new homes to dwell (the parsonage is furnished). By our last week here, we couldn't eat at home because everything in the kitchen had been packed.

It's hard leaving a congregation that you have grown to love and that you know loved you. Good Samaritan was made up of wonderful people - young, middle and senior adults. The grew to not only accept changes but to embrace them, to be open to different ways of worship, music, outreach. They even encouraged it and participated in it. It was wonderful and freeing. So, when we knew that we were to have to move, it broke my heart. I hoped that I could make the change but I was pretty frustrated about it all.

There are a lot of doubts that take up residence in your head when you find out about where you are being moved to. Question keep popping into your head: Will they like me? Will I like them? Will we have anything in common? Will they accept my style of ministry? What is their desire for the church? How close does their understanding of the purpose of the church line up with mine (or vice-a-versa)? And so on. It really can be unsettling.

Today Heather and I went to Zion to attend the Senior Adult luncheon - "Friends and Neighbors." There were about 50 or so people. We had good conversations with many of the folks, who were warm and welcoming. There was some good laughs with a number of them, even some friendly jabs and joking.

Then we went to the office and spent a couple of hours to set up and there were several folks hanging around there. Same thing took place - good conversations, joking around, sharing. It was good and positive.

When we were done Heather and I headed to the local Wal-Mart and on the way there I said to her, "I feel good about this and I am excited about coming here." She smiled and nodded.

I don't understand how God works sometimes or why He allows things to unfold as they do. But He never ceases to amaze me, when I am able to move beyond my own limited and narrow vision. I may not be able to see the final outcome, and I may never fully understand everything that is involved in the whole process, but ultimately I come realize (again and again) that "all things work out for good to those who are called to His purpose," which means my responsibility is to look for and head toward living out His purpose - which is to glorify Him in all the areas of my life. I don't have that down yet but He keeps giving me opportunities to work on it and be more consistent - He must have faith in me because He obviously hasn't given up on me, and He's lead me to Zion so that we (the church and I) can grow in our glorifying God together.

And in case you may be wondering, He hasn't given up on you either!

Checking In

OK, I know that I have failed in my commitment with keeping up with my blog. The last month plus has been a whirlwind of uncertainty and unexpected change. It always amazes me how quickly life can change on you and there is really no way you can prepare for it or slow it down. But we remain walking upright, if a little stunned and exhausted. But it all has made it hard to focus on putting things in a constructive and coherent way - not that I've ever really been able to do that!

Beginning tomorrow I will be the pastor of Zion United Methodist Church, located in Lancaster, SC. It will be a very different type of ministry, I'm sure, and I admit that I am nervous and anxious about it but, and this is a big but, I am excited about the possibilities and challenges that God has in store for us all.

The last few weeks we have slowly packed up our house, watched as others have come and taken some of our furniture to a new home, and moved into our bedroom - since it's the only room that still has furniture in it. It's been strange.

Anyway, I hope to be back up and running in a week or two, filled with inspiring things to write. Well, I can dream, can't I?

Hymns, Songs and Spiritual Songs

Basically, I'm a product of the 70's. I went through Jr. High, High School, and College all through the '70's. I loved most of the music then, certainly the music of the '60's, and, as a young adult, the music of the '80's. I've been through the '90's and well into the new millennium and there is a lot of music - folk, rock, and alternative - that I like. There has and is some I can't stand but generally, I like most of it.

Contemporary Christian Music (CCM), as it is called, started to come into it's own in the late '60's but I really didn't discover it until I was in Jr. High. I don't recall who I first heard that caught my attention - "ah, songs about Jesus that have a beat" - but I realized that CCM consisted of a little more "depth" than the (non-Christian artists) Doobie Brothers' "Jesus Is Just Alright With Me" or Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," to name just two. And yet, even if they lacked "theological depth" they had great catchy music and singable lyrics.

My first exposure to CCM was at Jr. High summer church camp, when the "speaker" consisted of a folk rock trio. They were REALLY good, funny, and sang - and not just "Christian" music - all in the context of a message and, to my surprise, worship. It was a new experience to me and I LOVED IT, as did the rest of the camp. What a let down it was to come home and find yourself back to singing from the hymnal, with piano and organ, songs that, if they caused any swaying, was from boredom, not from rhythm.

So, I embraced CCM and bought what I could get my hands on. For thought provoking and challenging lyrics, it was Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill. For sweet, uplifting songs, it was Honeytree. Maranatha was on the rise as the worship music leaders. Love Song, Phil Keaggy and Paul Clark had depth both in their musicianship and lyrics. Resurrection Band gave a rockier edge to their music, as did DeGarmo and Key. This was who and what I listened to then. Now, well, the list is way too long. But then, often, I would almost prefer the secular music over the CCM because the music seemed fuller, harder, more expressive, experimental. I remember a friend who bought a new CCM album by some artist that was being praised as the best new CCM artist out there and, upon listening, took off the LP and threw it out the window. "Yeah, their right, he does make the best CCM Frisbee out there!" Any question about what he felt?

All this to lead me here: after all these years, there is still this ongoing discussion about hymns (the traditional, from the hymnal, kind) and contemporary worship music. There are still those who are adamant about using ONLY hymns/gospel music in church and those who don't want anything resembling a hymn sung in their service. Then there are people like me who say, "I want both."

And here is why. Typically, most hymns have far more depth and theology than most contemporary worship music. When you sing a Charles Wesley hymn, you get a treatise on salvation and grace; when you sing a cont. worship song, you get praise and adoration but not much theology. Both have their place, both must have a place in worship. My issue is more about musical STYLE when it comes to "traditional" verses "contemporary." I love the piano and organ but after a while it can feel like your at a funeral.

Worship should be expressive, should have a feeling of life in it, should involve our senses. I mean, c'mon, we're worshiping our holy, magnificent God who has given us life and salvation. That should keep us on our feet and clapping for at least a minute or two! "Contemporary" music (aside from the lyrics) at least offers a little more energy than "traditional" music does over the long haul. Usually. I agree with Larry Norman, who sang in his song, "Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music":

I ain't knocking the hymns,

Just give me a song that has a beat.

I ain't knocking the hymns,

Just give me a song that moves my feet.

I don't like none of those funeral marches

I ain't dead yet!

Now, if my mother were to respond to this (and probably my Dad), she would disagree with me (and I know I will hear from her about this), and she would be right. This is my opinion as it comes out of my experience. Hers is very different from mine. She loves the hymns, she loves the choir, she loves the gospel songs, she loves the sound of piano and organ working their way through a hymn, culminating in a crescendo on the last verse. And so do I.

But there sits in every congregation people with varying backgrounds and musical tastes. Do we not have an responsibility in our churches to do all that we can to offer different "aspects" and "styles" in the worship experience that people can at least find something to connect with? It may be contemporary, it may be gospel (southern and otherwise), it may be traditional, it may be country (is there such a thing as country worship music?), it may be jazz, etc.

(Just a side note: the new Baptist Hymnal (it's also called the Worship Hymnal) is one of the best I have seen of late. It is a great combination of traditional, gospel, and contemporary, with many opportunities to segue from one style into another. United Methodist Hymnal Committee, take notice!)

Of course, music is just one component of the worship experience but it is a huge part that can, no, does have a huge impact on the spirit/feeling/experience of worship. If the music is bad, boring, slow, then the service will often be perceived as the same.

But we must not just settle on worship "lite" - songs that have very little theological depth. Simple does not have to mean "shallow." But "depth" doesn't have to mean boring. What message do we send about our faith in Christ when that is how our worship experience comes across? Again, to quote Larry Norman:

I want the people to know that he saved my soul

But I still like to listen to the radio.

They say rock 'n' roll is wrong,

we'll give you one more chance.

I say I feel so good I gotta get up and dance.

I know what's right, I know what's wrong,

I don't confuse it.

All I'm really trying to say

Is why should the devil have all the good music?

I feel good every day

'Cause Jesus is the rock and he rolled my blues away.

To close, I invite you to read the following article: "Your Guide to Contemporary Music."

I have no doubt you will find it very insightful and inspiring!

So, let us take our hymnals and turn to page....

Streams of Thought

I was sitting outside on the front porch earlier this evening, listening to the rain, watching it splash on the cement, and I started having a stream of thoughts: about wisdom - human and Godly; about love - between a husband and wife, between friend and friend, between strangers, my love for God and his love for me; about my responsibility to others - those I know, those I don't; about hope and faith - the things that make i weak and those that make it stronger. It was a fluid stream of thought, nothing I could hang on to but something streaming through my head. Mixed in the thoughts were pieces of Scripture that related to those streaming thoughts, like leaves floating on top of the water.

Later, much later, in the evening, I stumbled upon a website for Andrew Zuckerman Photography and there was a video posted on his site, by him, entitled, "Wisdom." As I watched it, I found myself having those thoughts again but this time more as a walker along the stream, observing and seeing it all from a different perspective. So I share this video with you. What stirred the waters for me was what I know God says about wisdom - our need for wisdom that comes from Him; our need for true love - the kind that comes from knowing Christ, which has a way of transforming us; how we are called to care for others - by expressing Christ-like love to all those who are around us; how doubt has a strange way about it - serving as "the ants in the pants of faith (Fredrick Buechner)."

Here is the video. After watching, take a "walk" by whatever stream it causes to flow by you - but also be sure that you watch for the stirrings in the water by the hand of God.