Nepal is a crazy place
I wish i could fart right now BUT i dare not cause as always when i travel, my bum just ain’t right. Anyway on to other things.
Nepal is a crazy place. There is some serious poverty here, a heck of a lot of rubbish, and everything is dirty. But it is a spectacular place at the same time. The mountains are massive and the landscape is so dramatic. The people that we met at the conference were really cool, some great leaders and people giving so much of their lives for others.
We were in a place called Pokhara, it’s Nepal’s second biggest city, and it’s up near some very famous mountains, Annaputra is one of them. We could see much due to cloud but seriously majestic. We flew in there Monday and the conference ran Tues – Thurs, we then flew out today to Kathmandu. Here one night, Singapore tomorrow, and then good old Htown.
See ya
HONG KONG
well after a long flight, a night in Singapore, and then the trek to Hong Kong i’m finally here! Got in yesterday and this is a crazy place, there are just so many people, so many, and buildings that stretch to the sky as far as you can see.
WorshipCentral kicked off last night with Tim Hughes leading us in a time of worship and Mike Pilavachi speaking. As always mike was funny as. It was a good night, even though i had a girl next to me who couldn’t stay in tune one bit, and that’s being kind. I think she had a great heart!!
Ministry time last night was great. Unexpectedly i kind of got undone, really felt God do some stuff in me, and of course i was crying my eyes out. I must get back to me, the gat, and God more often, there is a depth of crying out that i need to revisit and make normal again. I love the way these guys are no hype, no fuss, safe, and real as. I certainly connect at values level with what’s going on with worshipcentral.
Hoping today is going to be really worth it, a long way to come for such a short time, but i think there’s something good in being here, not too sure what that is yet but we’ll see how the day goes. I better role and get myself around the corner to the event.
peace out (in a Kip voice)
Essentials Green Creative Project – YOU MADE A WAY
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Course with Dan Wilt.
‘You Made A Way’ is my creative project for Essentials Green. As I have reflected on what we have discussed in Essentials Green regards worship values I was drawn to the fact that accessibility starts with God, He made a way for us, He is the way for us.
“But I by Your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence will bow down toward Your holy temple.” – Psalm 5:7
We can only worship because God has made a way. We can only stand in His presence, lift voices and hands, because He values accessibility.
I know this is a rather different take on this value, but it is what came to mind as I pondered. How we value accessibility is by being aware of some extremely practical things, like lyrics, keys, styles, volume, etc. We as worship leaders guard the worship experience from things that would push it away from people engaging and entering in to communion with God.
God has dealt with the practical issues too. Sin, distance, separation, all dealt with so we can have access to worship and adore Him. This song talks of how God has valued access by His love and mercy, by the giving of Jesus on the cross. He loves us so much that in His mercy He gave His only Son that we may have access.
Pity about the rough recording and bad vocals!! You’ll get the idea!!
YOU MADE A WAY from gateway on Vimeo.
you made a way
Kingdom Expectation
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Course with Dan Wilt
“Ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened …” All this involves a key thing called ‘expectation.’ If we ask, seek, or knock but have no expectancy of a result surely we are insane. Are we to worship but have no expectancy that God will hear and respond? Are we to pray but not expect God to answer? We have been invited into a conversation with God, not at Him, not one way.
For me a lot of what i believe comes back to the fact that I see God working in the here and now, I read of His works of old, and I can’t help but be convinced that God’s miraculous power isn’t confined to ‘once upon a time in a land far, far away.’ The Kingdom of God is “already, and not yet.” It has come and is coming. We live in a time in which God is moving, His Kingdom is advancing, and all of it points to a day when the Kingdom of God will be the only Kingdom.
From this view point i look at worship as a lot more than a few songs, some nice tunes, and a bunch of old folks singing together. “God inhabits the praises of His people” (Psalm 22:3), thank offerings prepare the way of His salvation (Psalm 50:22), we can’t read what God said without coming to the conclusion that worship invites the rule of the King. God responds to our praise. Is this the reason we worship? No. We worship because He is worthy of our worship, and because while we were yet sinners He loved us. A by-product of worship is God moves.
2 Chron 20 is the only passage that needs to be sighted here, as this almost explains the whole deal. A people humble themselves, fall on their faces, cry out to God in worship, and He responds. This is still the case today, sometimes seen, sometimes behind the scenes, as we worship we usher in the Kingdom of God.
I want to sing and lead from this understanding.
Cultural Relevance
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Course with Dan Wilt
How far should we pursue ‘cultural relevance’? How do we get balance in this, how do we be relevant, true to who we are, while embracing all races and generations, styles and flavours? I strongly believe we can’t be all things to all people. Each of our communities needs to understand who we are called to be, and also who we are to reach out and connect with. With an understanding of this, we can then begin to explore the answers to the cultural relevance questions.
“Irrelevance is the utter disconnection between two ideas, people or events. By contrast, relevance speaks of the fact that there is a shared reality between people, and each affirms the others reality (and possibly enhances the quality of that shared reality).” 1 As I ponder on these definitions i realise i don’t want to be completely relevant or completely irrelevant. I want to to be in the world but not of it, i want to share language but i don’t want to buy into the philosophy.
Jesus used the language of the day, He spoke in words that the people around him knew, He told stories they understood and comprehended. He didn’t speak Latin to a people who spoke Aramaic. Jesus used the language of the day but He never entered into the philosophy of the culture.
I believe the message that we have, Jesus, is still the most relevant thing to all hearts. Jesus is relevant, eternity has been placed in every heart, the longing is their, but how often we get in the way. How then do we have an appropriate language for the culture around us? We need to be interpreters, cultural watchmen on the walls, people who understand the times. 2
Me must be culturally relevant, me must explore the shared realities we have with those around us, speaking in a language that can be understood. We can then engage in conversation that can be understood in both directions, and our ‘utter disconnections’ may just draw out truth as we relate to each other.
I want to understand culture, i don’t want to live in the bubble.
1 Essentials Green Booklet
2 1 Chronicles 12:32
“Intimacy In Worship”
For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Green Online Course with Dan Wilt
INTIMACY – a posture of the heart!!
I love this view on intimacy, it’s encouraging, and exciting. Too often in my experience a style or genre has determined whether something is intimate or not. If it’s a mellow song, quiet and reflective it’s bracketed ‘intimate.’ Romance is one of those notions that gets confused too. We think if it’s lights down low, roses, dinner for two, it’s romantic. Yet laughing, joy and fun is some of the best romance out there. I wonder why we do this?
Dan Wilt suggested that intimacy is a posture of the heart, that it has nothing to do with style, and everything to do relationship, safety, and mutual self-disclosure. This is freeing stuff, when in a position like mine you have opinions shared with you regularly on what songs we should or shouldn’t do, what we’re doing wrong, where we’re missing the boat with intimacy, and all that jazz. I certainly feel validated in my choice of some more celebratory songs that express feelings and emotions that we haven’t often sung, because, in light of ‘intimacy being a heart posture’, celebration and joy, shouting and dancing no longer appear to be a move away from intimacy, but rather a greater expression of it.
So i feel encouraged with something that rings true in my heart, yet i feel challenged at the same time. I must continue to pursue intimacy, to push in, to come near, to posture my heart in the right way that mutual self-disclosure, self-revealing and vulnerability actually happen with God.
Whatever song i sing, may it draw me near and invite me into conversation with Him.
A Wise Old Priest
I went Denmark a few years back, good times, lots of music, lots of history and so many castles. Among all the old sites, the schools we played at, the food we ate and the castles we visited, there was a great guy we met. We stayed at his place, across the road from the very ancient church he was priest of.
Apparently this place was built about 1000 years ago, and we got a personal tour. It held a lot of stories and it must have played witness to so much history. We walked our way through this old building, with a commentary from the ‘wise old priest’ who had a way with words. He told us of the art that had been restored, how it had been painted over and then reclaimed, how certain things had taken centre stage at certain times with the ebs and flows of church life.
On reflection, the entrance was a story in and of it’s self. It was called the armoury, and when built it was designed to be the place where the faithful would leave there swords, daggers, shields and spears. As we stood in that space we could not help but to be drawn to the need for us to ‘disarm’ before we ‘enter in.’ This was a physical space with a physical application, but a space that now speaks to a need in our time.
A wies old priest with a lot of stories let us in on something that is really worth pondering. Do we need an armoury in our churches? Do we individually need a space that allows us to disarm before coming into the presence of God, so we may approach without our defences up? Worth a think!
new song – RESCUE
‘Rescue’ was written after contemplating and pondering all we had heard, read and discussed in Essentials RED.
It’s, well, rough to say the least but I had a few issues with gear and ran out of time to do anything else with it, so the ‘through down’ version is the one you get. I think with a bit of work and some sweet tastiness from the band this actually might end up ok. But this was a reflection or response type project, which was a fabulous exercise causing me to think through central themes of what we had explored over the past five weeks.
There were many directions this could have gone, as we touched on a wide range of themes. I started writing a song for the love feast (Eucharist) but wasn’t ‘feeling it’ and with a few different chords and a change of key the theme of advent was brought to the forefront.
Advent has really come alive to me, as we have journeyed through Essentials RED, approaching Christmas while studying this topic has been great timing. My experiences in church life thus far have had very little room for the celebration of the Christian year, so as we discussed the Worship Language of Time this whole concept has been fresh and thought provoking.
The central theme of advent, the Word made flesh, has got a lot of traction in my heart. Contemplating and meditating on the incarnation has drawn we to new understanding and fresh expression of worship. ‘Rescue’ is an original song born out of exploring and attempting to engage in the season of Advent.
iMovie ended up being my only option, not a good thing!!
and for some strange reason wordpress won’t embed my vid, so you’ll have to follow a link.
Languages of Art and Music
For The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St.Stephen’s University, Essentials Red Online Course with Dan Wilt.
Week Four and we’re finally looking at MUSIC. Well that’s what i was thinking when i looked at the course layout at the start, but i have really enjoyed the angle this course has on things. It has been a rich journey through the languages of worship and the stories entail.
Music is something i do love and are rather passionate about. however i have come to a realisation that as much as i am a musician (didn’t say i was a good one) i think i just like things that capture my imagination and engage my senses. I am all about aesthetics, i’m all about things that speak beyond words, i think i may just appreciate art. It’s probably not something i would have said of myself a while back, but truly my eyes and ears love things that look and sound good.
Civil Engineering has a certain place in my heart, i once studied it, once practiced and look back that time rather fondly. I have let it go now, i have said good bye to a career in civil but man do i still appreciate the art of design and construction!! There is nothing like a bridge or highway to get me inspired; weird aye!
Beauty exists in so many places, art exists everywhere, and i have begun to see it in places i once never thought to look. Art is not just something hanging in a snobby gallery down town, it is the expression of people all around through an array of media, and God is speaking through it! There are messages to be heard, questions to be explored, scenes to be transported to, and within the conversations there are seams of redemption as artist explore a God who intervened in the human condition.
