This question has been nagging me for three days now. In the context of our musical worship (shocking content, I know)--are we propelled only by musical energy or is there something deeper within our hearts driving us?
If within minutes of leaving the church parking (which happens VERY quickly around here. Side note-reminds me of the cartoons where someone races out of a room and the door is left swinging back and forth and creaking...) the "fulfillment" that you feel fades, you probably have your answer. Don't expect a miracle if you are a "Christian" one day a week.
In a lot of what I do, I find myself worrying about having a good mix of upbeat and more reflective tempoed songs. Or about who will like or dislike this song or that song, or whatever it may be. And then I usually get frustrated with myself, scrap everything, and start over.
Well, this nagging question, coupled with my own dissatisfaction of how I've been leading in worship, has led me to do something frightening. Worship tomorrow will be interesting. More importantly I believe it will be God-honoring and Christ-exalting.
I hope that in light of the Word of God, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be propelled to a new place of worship.
God help us. God help me.
What are you propelled by? Are you a person who "worships" in such a way that makes this question necessary? I don't need to know your answer, just puttin it out there...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thursday, April 08, 2010
It's been a while...
Wow. November 15th huh? Shame on me. Unfortunately, I think this is reflective of a few things that are no fun to admit. The Psalmist said "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good," and I have many times. Lately however, the trite and trivial have overtaken the raw and genuine unfettered affection for a God who gives so generously to those who seek.
In perfect Divine timing, a friend just text me and said "Satan is the master of disguise and is attacking people for sure...got a clear picture of how Satan works in counterfeit. Offering something good in exchange for best. And I've been falling for it."
Man that's a good word, and she's exactly right, I have been falling for it. Here's what I wrote in the hours after our conversation...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A top General in the United States Army called me out of the blue the other day. When I answered the phone he said,
“Mr. Kurtz, the U.S. Government would like to reward you like nothing you have ever known or will again experience in your lifetime.”
“Well, it’s about time,” I mockingly replied.
The General went on to explain that I had been chosen to receive the biggest prize that any one person had ever been awarded. I had been granted free and clear access to Fort Knox, the largest gold depository in the nation! My mind was instantaneously a blur and my heart raced. In a moment of pretentious humility I thought, “why me?” That thought quickly fading my mind wandered to making plans for what certainly would prove to be the biggest trip of my life.
Before I knew it the day had arrived. Last minute preparations made the morning nothing more than a whirlwind of activity. At last, everything was set and it was time to leave.
The flight over the Midwestern states and the subsequent limo ride to Fort Knox was fairly uneventful. Even if there had been I wouldn’t have known any differently anyway. I was deep in thought. I sincerely felt grateful to have been chosen for such an honor. Deep down I knew that I wasn’t the one who deserved this. I had cheated on my taxes a few times; nothing big, but definitely some minute errors in my favor. I was also the proud perfector of the California stop. I had smugly rolled through many stop signs and broken various other traffic laws almost daily. I barely knew the words to the “Pledge of Allegiance” or “The Star Spangled Banner”. I just wasn’t a model citizen at all. Nonetheless, I had been chosen and as the limo slowed to turn in, my mind snapped back to the current moment, and my stomach dropped as I saw the big sign over the gate that read, “FORT KNOX”.
The General was large in stature with a handshake like a pair of vice grips and a countenance that could melt your face. But his eyes were very friendly and I instantly felt welcome. As I walked and talked with him and his staff, it was almost like I had been adopted into his family and had known everyone there for a lifetime.
I was shown the mysterious inner-workings of one of the most secure facilities in the world. I felt so incredibly powerful with this knowledge, and with the access to every nook and cranny of the facility.
He led me into an elevator and we began dropping deep into the heart of the earth. After what seemed like an eternity, the dropping motion stopped and the doors “pinged!” open.
The enormity of the vault absolutely blew my mind. Its mouth could swallow a Boeing 757 easily with room left over. The steel used in its construction could build a bridge large enough to connect New York City to Los Angeles. The number of armed guards and their arsenal of weapons would rival the armies of some small countries. At the sight of the General, they all snapped to attention and held their crisp salutes until he had acknowledged them.
We walked up to the mammoth steel mouth and on the General’s signal, the vault began to creak open.
Shielding my eyes, we walked forward into the vault. I had never seen such a sight! The sheer volume of treasure was more than I had imagined, even in my most covetous dreams.
Seeing my wonderment-filled face, the General, with great delight, let out a jovial laugh. His laugh still reverberating throughout the giant structure, he looked at me with those gentle eyes, and with his arms and hands stretched out in a gesture, and said,
“All of this is yours. You may take freely whatever you wish!”
I had no words. I instead began cautiously walking among the rows and rows of treasure.
There were pallets upon pallets of gold bars. Robust wooden barrels held countless gold coins, deeper than my arm could reach. An impeccable display case held a blood-red diamond that must have been more karats than any other I had ever heard of. Black velvety draw-string bags held jewels that made the crown-jewels of England look like toys. Across the aisle there were rolls upon rolls of the finest linens and garments made by the finest seamstresses in the world.
I had barely crossed the first section of the vault floor and already my head was spinning like a child’s toy top. I pinched my eyes together with my hand in an effort to clear my head. Taking my hand away, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Not sure I had seen what I thought I had, I strained my eyes downward to get a better view. After all the bright light, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but after a few moments out of the light, the object came into clear focus.
There in plain sight, on the floor to my left, was the most magnificently tattered piece of twine. I jumped down to my knees and in one swoop motion took it in my hand and began playing with it. I twirled it around in the air; drug it on the ground in circles for a while, and then without another thought, I announced suddenly,
“I’m taking the string!”
Without a backward glance I marched out of the vault, head held high.
In perfect Divine timing, a friend just text me and said "Satan is the master of disguise and is attacking people for sure...got a clear picture of how Satan works in counterfeit. Offering something good in exchange for best. And I've been falling for it."
Man that's a good word, and she's exactly right, I have been falling for it. Here's what I wrote in the hours after our conversation...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A top General in the United States Army called me out of the blue the other day. When I answered the phone he said,
“Mr. Kurtz, the U.S. Government would like to reward you like nothing you have ever known or will again experience in your lifetime.”
“Well, it’s about time,” I mockingly replied.
The General went on to explain that I had been chosen to receive the biggest prize that any one person had ever been awarded. I had been granted free and clear access to Fort Knox, the largest gold depository in the nation! My mind was instantaneously a blur and my heart raced. In a moment of pretentious humility I thought, “why me?” That thought quickly fading my mind wandered to making plans for what certainly would prove to be the biggest trip of my life.
Before I knew it the day had arrived. Last minute preparations made the morning nothing more than a whirlwind of activity. At last, everything was set and it was time to leave.
The flight over the Midwestern states and the subsequent limo ride to Fort Knox was fairly uneventful. Even if there had been I wouldn’t have known any differently anyway. I was deep in thought. I sincerely felt grateful to have been chosen for such an honor. Deep down I knew that I wasn’t the one who deserved this. I had cheated on my taxes a few times; nothing big, but definitely some minute errors in my favor. I was also the proud perfector of the California stop. I had smugly rolled through many stop signs and broken various other traffic laws almost daily. I barely knew the words to the “Pledge of Allegiance” or “The Star Spangled Banner”. I just wasn’t a model citizen at all. Nonetheless, I had been chosen and as the limo slowed to turn in, my mind snapped back to the current moment, and my stomach dropped as I saw the big sign over the gate that read, “FORT KNOX”.
The General was large in stature with a handshake like a pair of vice grips and a countenance that could melt your face. But his eyes were very friendly and I instantly felt welcome. As I walked and talked with him and his staff, it was almost like I had been adopted into his family and had known everyone there for a lifetime.
I was shown the mysterious inner-workings of one of the most secure facilities in the world. I felt so incredibly powerful with this knowledge, and with the access to every nook and cranny of the facility.
He led me into an elevator and we began dropping deep into the heart of the earth. After what seemed like an eternity, the dropping motion stopped and the doors “pinged!” open.
The enormity of the vault absolutely blew my mind. Its mouth could swallow a Boeing 757 easily with room left over. The steel used in its construction could build a bridge large enough to connect New York City to Los Angeles. The number of armed guards and their arsenal of weapons would rival the armies of some small countries. At the sight of the General, they all snapped to attention and held their crisp salutes until he had acknowledged them.
We walked up to the mammoth steel mouth and on the General’s signal, the vault began to creak open.
Shielding my eyes, we walked forward into the vault. I had never seen such a sight! The sheer volume of treasure was more than I had imagined, even in my most covetous dreams.
Seeing my wonderment-filled face, the General, with great delight, let out a jovial laugh. His laugh still reverberating throughout the giant structure, he looked at me with those gentle eyes, and with his arms and hands stretched out in a gesture, and said,
“All of this is yours. You may take freely whatever you wish!”
I had no words. I instead began cautiously walking among the rows and rows of treasure.
There were pallets upon pallets of gold bars. Robust wooden barrels held countless gold coins, deeper than my arm could reach. An impeccable display case held a blood-red diamond that must have been more karats than any other I had ever heard of. Black velvety draw-string bags held jewels that made the crown-jewels of England look like toys. Across the aisle there were rolls upon rolls of the finest linens and garments made by the finest seamstresses in the world.
I had barely crossed the first section of the vault floor and already my head was spinning like a child’s toy top. I pinched my eyes together with my hand in an effort to clear my head. Taking my hand away, I saw it out of the corner of my eye. Not sure I had seen what I thought I had, I strained my eyes downward to get a better view. After all the bright light, it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but after a few moments out of the light, the object came into clear focus.
There in plain sight, on the floor to my left, was the most magnificently tattered piece of twine. I jumped down to my knees and in one swoop motion took it in my hand and began playing with it. I twirled it around in the air; drug it on the ground in circles for a while, and then without another thought, I announced suddenly,
“I’m taking the string!”
Without a backward glance I marched out of the vault, head held high.
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