2017 - New Year's Resolution

Greetings! My New year's resolution for 2017 is to blog again. No longer blogging just for my own sake, but working towards an eventual book. So I want to develop the habit of writing every Sunday after services. I may comment on that day's message, or on musical experiences from the day.
To start the year right, I'd like to re-purpose a blog entry from 2011 titled, "Don't Matter if it's Not Good Enough." Enjoy.

Several years ago, I set out to arrange some Christmas Music, and one of the first songs on my list was "Little Drummer Boy." I've always loved this song; but I didn't know why I loved this song so much until I got down to arranging. I wanted to do something truly original with the song, and the key, for me, was the "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pums." I'm sure it's clear to everyone that "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum" is the sound of the little boy's drum; but I wanted to emphasize that.

I considered having a complete drum accompaniment, which became too noisy. I tried an a cappella accompaniment of voices repeating "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum" over and over, but that didn't work either. Finally, I explored the lyrics and had an idea. Just as the boy in the song plays the drum for the baby Jesus, I play piano. So, I rearranged the song using piano as accompaniment. I'd sing each line, and play an accompanying figure for each "Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum." It refocuses the song and allows the story to shine.

"Come, they told me, a newborn King to see. Our finest gifts we bring, to set before the king, so to honor him when we come. Little Baby, I am a poor boy, too. I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give a king. Shall I play for you? (on my drum)." (Of course, I don't play a drum in my version, so I omit that line.)

The tale is now no longer about a fictional boy visiting the manger, but it's about me. I'm coming before our king and, having no proper gifts to bring, will honor Him with my music.

Then I get to the final verse. "Mary nodded. The Ox and Lamb kept time. I played, I played for Him. I played my best for Him."

At this point of my arrangement, I launch into a few minutes of improvised piano soloing. I purposely did not compose, arrange, or otherwise plan out this section. I want every performance to be "in the moment." I want to freely express myself musically at that moment. And like all improvisation; sometimes it's good, and sometimes, not so much.

There have been performances where I really stink up the place with my playing of this section. I've had rare glimpses of brilliance, but often, it's rather mediocre. I'll admit, it frustrates me when my improvisation isn't up to my own standards. I recall one of the first times I tried the piece, it wasn't that great, and I felt horribly embarrassed. Then I finished singing...

"Then He smiled at me..."

Since I omit "Me and my drum", my song ends here. I realized that this line is the most important. Jesus is pleased with my gift of music, even when the human standards by which I gauge it tell me that it's sub-par. It's not important to Him that I perform amazingly. It's not important to Him that I be perfect. It's important to Him that I perform. That I lift my voice, and my fingers in praise. That I use my gifts, and help others to do so as well.

Often, musicians are encouraged to strive for perfection. And that's a good thing, because who wants to hear music that has incorrect notes in it. But when musicians are obsessed with perfection, it can drive you crazy, and it leads to a condescension that not everyone is cut out to make music. One of the best choices I ever made in my life is letting go of perfectionism, and just enjoying the music making process. Letting go of the feeling of having to be the best, and enjoying the act of being the best I can be. No longer seeing the world as people who are good at music, and those who aren't; and instead embracing a world where every person can be taught to sing and join in with the songs.

My very controversial view of choral singing is that even if you aren't a skilled singer, I can teach you. I've never cut a person from my choir because of a lack of singing ability. Instead I've worked to help them improve their sense of pitch, improve their tone, or just worked to help learn the parts. That way, ideally, everyone can join in with the hymns, anthems and songs of the church service.

A thousand years ago, the Catholic church firmly believed that it was inappropriate to speak prayers; they needed to be sung, or they believed God didn't hear you. I don't believe that, but I DO believe that when a person sings, he prays twice. I am pleased that SUMC includes so much music in their service. Music sends the message directly to your heart and soul as spoken word never can. And when we sing, and express our joy, love, and faith in that way, Jesus smiles at us.

Lord, may our voices raise in pleasing song to your glory. And give our congregation the courage and confidence to raise their own voices in praise to you. And may it make you smile. In Jesus' name we pray.
AMEN

31 These are the men David put in charge of the music in the house of the LORD after the ark came to rest there. ³² They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.  - 1 Chronicles 6:31-32

¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 5:18-20

Holy Week

During Holy week, we remember the time that politicians attempted to silence a man whose words of truth threatened their influence and power. A man whose words rang so true, that to discredit him was nearly impossible. He had to be killed, but only after being humiliated. 

We remember how His words were manipulated in hearings so as to seem like blasphemy. How political threats were used to convince a Governor to act when his instincts knew that the man before him did no wrong. 

How political leaders swayed the public with propaganda into a frenzy against an innocent man who spoke of peace, faith, and charity. How they created a tone of fear in the region that made even the most faithful of apostles deny even knowing their Master. 

How the politicians nurtured hatred to the point where a simple sentence of death became amplified into a bloodbath of torture, humiliation, and suffering. 

We remember these events by reliving them through theatre, music, and dramatic storytelling. We make sure to sing hymns that remind us, "I Crucified You." We remember the crowd shouting, "Let His blood be on us and all our children."

Surely, one reason for this is that it is important to remember how easily people who claimed to be people of faith were so easily manipulated by the simple tools of politics. These same tools are being used today. In this election campaign, for example, politicians once again are manipulating truth, slandering innocent people, and breeding hatred and violence. And once again, people who claim to be people of faith are allowing themselves to be manipulated. 

Let this Holy Week remind us that there is a truth beyond the words of people who wish to acquire or maintain power. Let us remember the consequences of allowing these lies to turn us against each other, and away from God. Let us NOT respond with thoughts of, "Look at what THOSE people did;" but rather with, "Look what, but for the grace of God, we might end up doing." And let it inspire us to focus on the words of Jesus Christ. Let us remember that He defeated them by bearing witness to the Truth. Let us focus on God, and what it truly means to be a Christian. 

 

Broken into Beautiful

Three weeks ago, we sat in the choir loft at St. James Methodist Church, joining their choir in a performance of a beautiful song by Gwen Smith called, "Broken into Beautiful." The song is from a cantata or musical, and references the story of the woman who tried to see Jesus, but the crowd wouldn't let her, because of who she was. The crowd felt that her past had tarnished her character to the point that she was unworthy to see the Lord.

There are a number of stories in the Gospels of people being deemed "unworthy" by society to come before the Lord. And in each one, Jesus sees them and through his intervention, they are healed; made whole again.

Often these stories are used to present the healing power of God. We come to Him as sinners, and through his forgiveness, and his strength, we are cleansed of sin, forgiven, and able to repent and start over again.

It occurred to me, as I listened and sang at that Lenten Service, that maybe the story is much simpler than that. The woman was being kept from Jesus, not by Jesus Himself, but because of the PEOPLE'S judgement of her. Whereas our understanding of the tale was that she was unclean in the eyes of God, and then healed of her sinfulness; in actuality, she was fine in the eyes of God, but she believed she was unworthy because that's what THE CROWD told her.

This is the essence of Bullying. Beyonce Knowles was a beautiful young child with a lovely voice. She'd win talent competitions, and come back to school to meet people who would bully her. Of all things, she was bullied for being TOO pretty, TOO light skinned, TOO talented, TOO successful. The bullies turned something she should have been proud of into something she was ashamed of.

What Jesus does in the story is not a miracle. He doesn't lay hands on her, removing her stains and sins. He doesn't use the power of God to heal her of leprosy or some other horrible, disfiguring disease.  All he does... is acknowledge her being there. He sees her as a woman, worthy of God; one of God's creations just like the rest of us. But after being shunned by society, and told that she was "less than;" Jesus' simple inclusion and acknowledgement was EVERYTHING.

When this occurred to me, I thought of my job as music director. Often, when asked to sing in choir, people say, "Oh, you don't want my voice." "I'm not good enough." "I'll just make you sound horrible." My response is always as it has always been: "Yes, I do; Yes, you are; and No, you won't." (Respectively.) I don't believe in people who "Can't Sing;" only people who haven't learned how to sing. My job as Choir Director is to teach people how.

Think about people who you have seen shunned by society, left out, dismissed as being unworthy, because of OUR judgement, not God's. And think about how you, as a follower of Jesus, could acknowledge them, assure them that they're a child of God, and allow them to be included in our world.

The Three Temptations

As we enter the season of Lent, our thoughts turn towards Jesus' fast in the wilderness. For 40 days, he ate and drank nothing. And towards the end, he was tempted by Satan. 
Now, Satan didn't have a special temptation for the Son of God. Perhaps his intention was to derail Jesus' ministry before it started by tempting Him the way he would tempt ALL men; thus proving that He was merely a man, and not the Messiah. Satan followed the same pattern of temptations with Jesus as he would with any of us; with Mary, the dieter who wants to cheat on her diet; Bobby, the young person being tempted to get into a fist fight; or Steven, the married man tempted to cheat on his wife. 
The first temptation of Jesus was "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." (Matthew 4:3) At the moment of Jesus' greatest starvation, He was tempted to simply create bread out of the stones here; to immediately satisfy his hunger while abandoning what he came out here to do: seek the voice of God and prepare for his mission. Thus, He is tempted with instant gratification.
Mary may be tempted to satisfy her craving for sweets with "just one little bonbon." Bobby, being annoyed by a bully, may be tempted to let out his building anger by punching out the guy; "just one punch, and that'll teach him." That woman may be flirting, and Steven may be feeling certain urges, "who's gonna know, go ahead, kiss her."

Jesus' response was "It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4) In other words, my hunger is one thing, but my commitment to God is more important. Sure, I'll ease my hunger, but I'll have betrayed my Lord. Mary might say, "I can't have that bonbon, I'm trying to be healthy." Bobby: "It WOULD feel good to punch that guy out, but I'm not a violent person." Steven: "I made a commitment to my family, and no amount of instant gratification will make me betray that."

Second Temptation. Satan tried the next tactic: "If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Matthew 4:6) Some think that he was tempting Jesus into suicide, but I think he was trying to make Him prove his divinity. "If you're REALLY divine, then you won't die, Angels will save you."

"Come on, you can manage your own diet. A few calories now, and you'll eat an extra salad later." "What are you a wimp? This guy is challenging your manhood. Are you going to take that from him?" "What, does your wife decide what you do? Are you THAT hen-pecked?" 

Jesus' response: "It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’" (Matthew 4:7) In other words, I AM the son of God, which means I don't HAVE to prove it. 

"Yes, I HAVE will power, which means I'll have a celery stick." "A real man would never have to beat up another man to prove it." "I do what my wife would want because it's MY choice to honor her."

On to the final temptation. "All this I will give you,” Satan said, “if you will bow down and worship me." (Matthew 4:9) If you worship Satan, I'll give you whatever you've always wanted.

"Don't you want to be happy? A Celery stick won't make you happy, Chocolate will." "If I fight this guy, I'll be mightier than him, stronger, better. And in the eyes of all these people watching, I'll be awesome." "She's probably REALLY good. I'll be a stud if I can make it with her."

Very tempting, indeed, how do we battle that? Well, Jesus said, "Begone, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only." (Matthew 4:10) Satan's offer is not the only way to seek satisfaction. He made the choice to serve His greater commitment to God, rather than be superlative in any way. Only with God's help will He become the savior He's meant to be. 

"Think of how happy I'll be when I'm thin and healthy, and feeling good about myself." "I'll be the stronger man when I walk away from this argument." "I'm a great man in the eyes of my wife, and that's all I need to be."

In this Lenten Season, I've chosen to deepen my commitment to God by reading an online bible study every day, and to find inspiration in music and share that message with others. No doubt, I'll be tempted with instant gratification: "I'm kinda tired and busy, maybe I can skip it today;" a challenge to my ego: "What are you, one of those crazy, over-preachy Christians?" and probably, an offer to satisfy personal status, "Nobody's listening anyway, wouldn't your time online be better served sharing links to cooking videos?" 

But, as every year, I'll remind myself of how Jesus battled His temptations, and this was after 40 days of NOTHING to eat, Nothing to drink, and blistering wilderness. Compared to Him, my little sacrifice is minuscule. How can I come before Him and say, "Please understand, Lord, I was tired. I was embarrassed. I didn't want to come off as being uncool."  

The Touch of the Master's Hand

So one day my wife got me a gift. It was a thoroughly well thought out, and home made gift, the best kind of all. She had been listening to "Chicken Soup For the Soul" audiobooks, and was particularly touched by a poem called, "The Touch of the Master's Hand" by Myra B. Welch.

Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneer thought it scarcely worth his while

To waste much time on the old violin, but held it up with a smile;

"What am I bidden, good folks," he cried, "Who'll start the bidding for me?

A dollar, a dollar; then two! Only two? Two dollars, and who'll make it three?

Three dollars, once; three dollars twice; going for three..." But no,

From the room, far back, a gray-haired man came forward and picked up the bow;

Then, wiping the dust from the old violin, and tightening the loose strings,

He played a melody pure and sweet as caroling angel sings.

The music ceased, and the auctioneer, with a voice that was quiet and low,
said; "What am I bid for the old violin?" And he held it up with the bow.
A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two? Two thousand! And who'll make it three?

Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice, and going and gone," said he.

The people cheered, but some of them cried, "We do not quite understnad

what changed its worth." Swift came the reply: "The touch of a master's hand."

And many a man with life out of tune, and battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd, much like the old violin,

A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine; a game - and he travels on.

He is going once, and going twice, He's going and almost gone.

But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd never can quite understand

The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought by the touch of the Master's hand.

In her mind, the poem spoke about the way we as teachers make a difference in people's lives. A student comes to us, sometimes not believing in themselves, often told how worthless they are. Then we bring out some knowledge which helps them discover how meaningful they can be. They have a success in our classroom, and that inspires them to have a few more.

So she typed it up, and printed it a beautiful paper, and framed it and gave it to me for inspiration. I was so inspired, that I set it to music.

It was only later on, when I performed the song in church, that someone pointed out to me that it wasn't "The touch of A master's hand." It was "The Touch of THE Master's Hand." The master, of course, being God. The song also works on the level of meaning how God's presence in our life can change us from the path of self destruction, and failure; towards the life of success and abundance.

I enjoy songs that work on multiple levels like this. It means that even the cynic can gain wisdom, even if they won't acknowledge the sacred in it.

Charity

1Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. - 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (King James)

The first time I heard of this passage translated as "...and have not charity," I was taken aback. I had always heard "... and have not love." I understand that the definition charity involves love, as in caring for others; caring enough to give to meet their needs. The meaning of the passage is clear, you can walk the walk, but without truly caring for others, it means nothing.

 

The third sentence puzzles me, though. The author is hypothetically giving to the poor, which means charity to me. He's sacrificing his body for the good of others. How does one do that without charity?

 

Perhaps it is possible to perform acts of charity, without really FEELING it. I'm reminded of Mitt Romney after Hurricane Sandy. He was campaigning in the mid-west at the time, and he collected cans of food for the victims of the storm. It was a kind gesture, but some wondered if it was genuine. There were rumors that he gave out the cans to people as they entered the rally, only to have them donate it back to him as a photo opportunity. Others felt that collecting canned food was kind of an empty gesture, as people in the flood areas didn't need canned food, they needed other things.

 

What Romney's act of charity really is depends on whether there was "charity" in his heart when he performed this act. Did he truly have love for the victims of Sandy? Was he trying to help, or was he doing what seemed to be the right thing at the time. (There's a disaster, we collect food.) I like to think that Mitt Romney wanted to really help out. Even though people may criticize the level of impact the collection made, anything, no matter how small, when done with love, makes a difference.

 

Lord, when I do the things I do for others, please make my heart truly caring and thoughtful. Keep my mind on how to help, rather than wanting to appear to help. In Jesus' name I pray.

 

And I Think to myself, What a Wonderful World

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?" - Matthew 6:25-30

In high school, I was eleventh in my graduating class. I know this because I had the exact same GPA as the 10 ranked student, and Scholarships were awarded only to the top 10 students; and not to me. I argued this as much as I could, but to no avail. There was no additional funds for another scholarship, and to give it to me would mean taking it from the other guy. These rankings are arbitrary, of course, but it was a terrible feeling, being NOT in the elite of the school. It was very easy to get into a funk about it, and to feel like I'm somehow "less than;" ignoring the fact that I was every bit as good as the number 10 student.

I was also denied admission to the National Honor Society. The claim was that I didn't have enough "service" on my application. I had shown how I participated in fund raisers, and performances which benefited charities, but apparently, that wasn't what they were looking for. I became very resentful of this and the fact that I missed out on the scholarship, and began creating conspiracy theories about how the NHS was prejudiced against musicians. See, most of my grades came from music classes, and nearly all of my service was performance-related. I chose to exist in a world where people were actually trying to keep me from succeeding out of jealousy, or prejudice. I have no idea why I would want to live in that world, it seems to me to be rather miserable.

Especially since the world WASN'T out to get me. It turns out that the world is pretty good. It's a world where I get to participate in all of those classes and performances, and help the charities I helped. It's a world where I'm NUMBER 11 in my class, which is not too shabby after all! It was my personal mental attitude that prevented me from seeing the wonderful world around me.

Jesus taught us to reconsider the world WE live in. In Matthew 6, He tells us not to see the world as one where we might run out of food or clothing at any moment. To stop worrying about how we will survive, and instead begin to see the world as God actually created it: Abundant, Beautiful, and Plentiful. There is, it turns out, a lot to be thankful for, we need only choose to recognize it.

Lord, thank you for the wonderful world You created. Help us to see the world as a bountiful place to enjoy, and not as a horrible place that we need to survive. Help calm our minds when we begin to doubt. In Jesus' name we pray.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11
 
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. - Matthew 10:29-31