Mark Galli says it’s the end of Christianity as we know it.

And, says he, good riddance.

Here’s part of his post:

The Christian faith is, at its core, not about ethics or religious experience, but a message about a God who has gone to extraordinary lengths to be and remain on our side, to become the-God-with-a-name, Emmanuel, “God with us.” Christians are not primarily mystics (those who experience God in a special way) or activists (those who live the way of Jesus).

We are mostly witnesses of who God is and what he has done and what he will do in Jesus Christ, the God who in Christ has “a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Eph. 1:10).

This is not to deny that our faith must be expressed in deeds and empowered by a genuine experience of God. Faith without works, or a genuine encounter with God, is not Christian faith.

But after promising the disciples that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus told them what their main mission was: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

We are shortchanging our people when we make worship mostly about experience or a pep rally to motivate people to good deeds. We practice religious neglect when we fail to witness to them the saving story of God in Christ and train them to be fellow witnesses of that story, so that they might share that story with a world that does not know its left hand from its right. A world which does not know God as Emmanuel, but merely as “Something.” A world that knows transcendence but does not have eyes to see God with us even to the end of the age. A world that senses “attunement with other people,” but does not recognize the One who holds everyone and everything together by his love.

Mark Galli, The End of Christianity as We Know It, CT April 2010

Every leader of corporate worship will be limited at different times. It might be your drummer always rushes the fills. It might be you have to use someone else’s econo-guitar. It could be that the high school auditorium you’re meeting in has been overtaken by the set for “Man of La Mancha.” It could be your pastor wants you to play something out of your comfort zone.

Whatever limitations you face when you lead, see them as opportunities for God to do something better than what you would have done on your own.

If nothing else, limitations imposed on us by others are occasions to trust God more intently and “look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of others” (Phil. 2:4)

- Bob Kauflin, Worship Matters

Bob Kauflin of Covenant Life Church discovered his 2-year-old grandson had leukemia prior to Sunday services.

Here’s some of what he says from the experience:

I guess I could have struggled with the apparent dichotomy between my circumstances and the songs we were singing. Or ignored what my family was going through altogether and pretended that nothing was wrong. Or complained  about how hard life is sometimes.

By God’s grace, I actually drew great comfort from God through the truths we sang. So after the first song, which is based on Psalm 150, I shared a few thoughts not only for the church, but for my own soul.

The conclusion:

We don’t lead others out of a vacuum or a sanitized form of Christianity that bears no resemblance to normal life. It’s important that we take time to grieve, acknowledge pain, and confess our struggles. But when, not if,  you find yourself leading out of weakness, challenges, and trials, don’t minimize what’s going on or succumb in despair to your burdens. Lift your eyes, even as you lift the eyes of others, to the Father whose compassions never fail and to the Savior whose mercies are new every morning.

Whether God changes our trials, or more importantly, changes usthrough our trials, we praise him now in joyful anticipation of the day he will wipe away every tear from our eyes (Rev. 21:4).

The whole post here.

…is all you need, according to Kevin Kelley:

A True Fan is defined as someone who will purchase anything and everything you produce.

They will drive 200 miles to see you sing. They will buy the super deluxe re-issued hi-res box set of your stuff even though they have the low-res version. They have a Google Alert set for your name. They bookmark the eBay page where your out-of-print editions show up. They come to your openings. They have you sign their copies. They buy the t-shirt, and the mug, and the hat. They can’t wait till you issue your next work. They are true fans.

The hard part:

The key challenge is that you have to maintain direct contact with your 1,000 True Fans. They are giving you their support directly. Maybe they come to your house concerts, or they are buying your DVDs from your website, or they order your prints from Pictopia. As much as possible you retain the full amount of their support. You also benefit from the direct feedback and love.

Author/marketer Seth Godwin calls 1000 fans “a breakthrough opportunity” for artists and songwriters.

Consider:

1. What would it take for you to acquire 1000 ‘true fans’?
2. What are you doing now to make that happen?

A humorous post by Jimi Williams at the WorshipTogether blog says that your worship team structure probably falls into one of five catagories:

1. The Crowder
2. The Tomlin
3. The United
4. The Walker
5. The Kitchen Sink

Which is yours?

Any to add?

Christopher Hopper talks about collaboration and has five tips @ CatalystSpace on how to affect it:

1. Designate a point person
2. Develop consensus (not unanimity)
3. Compromise promotes ownership
4. Sharing canvases carte blanche
5. Open air policy

These strike me as healthy and achievable, but not easy.

How does your team collaborate?

Christianity Today has posted a good piece on social awareness and activism among evangelical Christian musicians.

It briefly chronicles the movement and also draws an important distinction:

…something more than endorsement is happening in contemporary Christian music.

Artists are directly immersing themselves and their audiences in missions to hurting people, whether they are six blocks or 6,000 miles away.

They are stepping to the forefront to address poverty, human trafficking, HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other fatal diseases, taking personal responsibility to invest in grassroots work.

The piece talks about the Bono factor, how most are avoiding “the minefield of short-term missions,” and how the upheaval in the music industry aids musicians invested in missions.

Definitely worth your read.  Also see:

• Jars of Clay: Clean Water, Clean Blood
• Sara Groves: Less Charity, More Justice
• Steven Curtis Chapman: Beauty Will Rise
• Derek Webb: A Different Kind of Neighbor
• Third Day: Diversification Is the Key

To get your church involved in what God is doing to awaken mercy missions through music, click here.

Paul Baloche has a good piece contrasting concerts vs. worship leading in the October issue of Worship Leader (see widget below):

At the end of the day, God is not calling us to perform on Sunday mornings but rather calling us to be more authentic and more transparent in our times of worship.

More Dylan, and less Elvis.

The early sixties folk movement invited the everyday person to join in and sing along.  It wasn’t slick and perfect.  It started a cultural revolution.

Full piece here or click below.

	October 2009
The Un-Concert by Paul Baloche

Given at Catalyst 2009 in Atlanta, where he received an award for 50 years in ministry:

1. 1. Whatever you do, do more with others and less alone
   2. Whenever you do it, emphasize quality not quantity.
   3. Wherever you go, do it the same as if you were among those who know you best.
   4. Whoever may respond, keep a level head.
   5. However long you lead, keep on dripping with gratitude and grace.

HT: Out of Ur

When have you heard Moses, the Apostle John, and John Calvin quoted favorably on a national news broadcast?

Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill Church in Seattle does so on ABC’s Nightline, during a remarkable story on idolatry.

Click here to watch.

Could it be that Terry Moran is not far from the kingdom?