Not Another Story, Mr. Jung!!!

I know, I know…

Enough about your personal life. I know!

I’m a teacher, remember. An English teacher! I’m supposed to talk a lot. And I do. I can tell stories in my classes all day. I sometimes wonder (actually, I secretly know) if my students are mentally rolling their eyes when I start a sentence: “When I was in high school…”

If you get me started, you might not make it to the end. I have stories, opinions, thoughts, beliefs, rationales, and convictions on nearly everything. And I say that to poke fun at myself. Nobody wants to hear someone espouse about anything and everything.

But I wanted to share a story because I feel that many in our church body have been experiencing the same thing. Now, by no means is this meant to garner pity. This isn’t really even that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. No, my family is not “suffering.” But in the moment, I have to admit, it sure does feel like suffering – long, slow suffering.

You see, I’ve been sick on and off since Festafall. I remember thinking that on Sunday, I wasn’t going to be able to sing because my throat was acting funny. I remember because some of our team members were guests at another church’s service that evening (the first Sunday in November). Then, I remember having the same thought in December (the first Sunday in December) where circumstances were the same: guest leading at another venue. Then, I remember in January thinking of how I have to be able to lead certain Sundays because I felt the same sore throat, runny nose, and congested head symptoms. By my count, that’s three full months. Both of my children have been sick on and off too. And me being sick is one thing. When they’re sick, at the same time, brace yourself! It’s pretty amazing that Grace has the immune system that she does. Otherwise, I don’t know who would take care of who in my house! (She never gets sick but she does get headaches…but I think that has more to do with me than a virus…sorry honey…speaking of which, a big thank you for all of your sacrifices these past few months – they haven’t gone unnoticed!)

So, like many of you, this season of flus and colds has not been fun. Like I said, it is far from “suffering.” I don’t want to devalue people in this world who are really suffering. But, in that three month span, it was really hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

But there’s a song that I led repeatedly through those last few months. I usually take a look at the central idea and theme in the Sunday message and build my set list around that. But these two songs kept finding their way into the set, regardless of their relevance to the message that week. Looking back, I’m sure it had a lot to do with my conversations with God around that time.

The first is an old Vineyard song – “You Are In Control.” I think it was released in 1998. I think some of my high school students were born in that year! It’s a great song but there’s a free-worship line in that song at the end where the worship leader sings the following:

“You are in control…             Over my wife and my children…”

And I don’t like to imitate lines from CDs for fear or being disingenuous in my worship. But this time, it came out. I blurted it out. Almost in defeat. I was so tired of the times. I was tired of my kids being sick. I was tired of watching Grace do all the housework. I was tired of going to work feeling less than 100%. But as I sung (more like whimpered) that line in defeat, my attitude changed to relief. I was reminded that our God is in control of all things. He’s obviously in control of all the big stuff. Missions. Brea Property. Orphans. But, he’s most definitely in control of the small stuff too. The petty things. Like minor illnesses. Like fussy kids. Like your family and mine. Like EVERYTHING. It’s pretty awesome, really. I can’t even control my runny nose yet he is in control of everything! Next time we sing that song, try to remember that.

The other song we’ve done a couple of times is by Paul Baloche – “Just to Be With You.”

Physical illnesses, especially ones that last more than a couple of weeks, have a funny way of zapping your mental and emotional strength in addition to the physical. I absolutely love my job. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. But during that particular season of my life, I didn’t feel that way. There’s a line that put all that into perspective.

“Lord my life is an empty cup…”                  “Leaving my will, my burdens behind.”

Whew! I needed that. I’ve really got to stop relying on my own energy. My finite, temporal (not to mention lazy) energy fails me every single time. I always get burned out trying to rely on myself. But I love the part of leaving my will AND my burdens behind. It’s hard, but it’s refreshing! And like someone flipped a switch, I went from lacking empathy to compassionate. I’ve been working on trying to see people with God’s eyes and not my own. It really makes a difference, especially in my line of work.

Then the kicker of this song… “All I want is just to be with you…” Is that true worship or what? It’s simple and honest.

Maybe you or your families have gone through something similar. I hope you see the light at the end of the tunnel. But if you’re still in that tunnel, remember: our God is in control of everything. And if you made it this far, congratulations! You just sat through one of Mr. Jung’s long and boring stories!

(Songs mentioned on this post…)                                                                                                     You Are In Control (Vineyard)       Just to Be With You (Paul Baloche)

Where Did We Go?

Christmas and New Year’s is an extra busy time for us. With that behind (and all the tearing down and setting up of equipment), we have started focusing on the coming year.

Here are some random songs that our church has been singing lately that you can listen to (iTunes).

1. Just to Be With You – Paul Baloche 

2. In Your Freedom – Hillsong

3. Eagle’s Wings – Hillsong  (this one’s pretty old!)

4. Let God Arise – Chris Tomlin

5. You Are In Control – Vineyard  (this one’s pretty old, too!)

And here are a couple of pretty good albums that you can peruse through.

- God Is Able – Hillsong 

- Chris Tomlin – How Great Is Our God: The Essential Collection

And, I probably already put this out there before, but these are seriously two of my favorite worship songs.

-   Your Name – Paul Baloche 

- Surrender – Vineyard

Also, I’m excited about a worship conference coming up. Here’s the link:

www.leadworship.com

Paul Baloche leads a night of worship on Friday night (Feb. 24) and leads some workshops of Saturday (Feb. 25).  Currently, we are organizing to go on Friday. If you want to just attend the praise evening, the ticket is $10 (held at GMI in Fullerton). If you’re interested, stay tuned and we can buy tickets together. Our team went to a workshop of his up north not too long ago and it was a very fruitful time. I hope that this one is even more so because we don’t have to spend 15 hours in the car!

Praise!

Worship Music Preference – Do You Want to Hear Me Rap?

In the past twenty years, worship music has really grown into a powerful industry. The way that it is able to influence and shape aspects of the music industry (as opposed to the previous thought that it was always the little brother to the big boys in rock n’ roll) is a big change that seems to grow more pronounced every few years.

In fact, you can walk into any place that sells CDs (including Best Buy or Barnes and Nobles) and pick up the most popular worship music. Even just 10 years ago, you couldn’t find anything but the “classic” Christian albums or themed albums (Christmas, Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, etc.).

So with all of this comes the wide variety of praise music we see available to us today. And this just means one thing for us on the worship band…

MORE songs and genres to learn.

When I first started having anything to do with the praise ministry, it was pretty straightforward. Every once in a while, Vineyard would release a TFH series CD with about 10 songs on it (2-3 which were useable). The chord patterns would be either:

a)     G C D Em

b)     E  A  B  C#m  (Throw in the 2 once in a while)

Anyone could learn to play these songs so these songs were deemed “singable.”

Musically, much hasn’t changed. But the newer groups did something that Vineyard did not. They added layers and layers of instruments, vocals, and loops to produce a sound that is far more complex than “Arms of Love” (which, by the way, is a great song…for the 90s).

Hillsong – watch their youtube channel. You’ll see 15 singers, 10 guitarists, an orchestra, 5 electric guitar players, some people on the stage just to fill the extra space, etc. It is quite a spectacle.

Tomlin, Baloche, Redman – these guys are still much simpler in terms of their vocal and instrumental approach but they’ve added the digital component to much of their repertoire. These tracks enhance their live and studio music to the point that if we don’t use the same piece, the song will have the feeling of a missing component to those familiar with the praise song.

There are MANY other bands and musicians that write worship music. I just mentioned the MOST common ones. But nearly all use one of the two approaches mentioned above.
At our church, we have dabbled with all those things (well, maybe not to the extent of 25 guitarists, but you get my point). But I noticed that our people don’t generally care for any of it. I don’t think it’s bad. As a matter of fact, as a musician, I think that putting some of my energy into those musical matters is completely appropriate in my own heart-worship and sacrifice to God. I don’t think it would be wise if I just sang “Arms of Love” every week because I knew those chords and knew them well. Expansion of skill and honing of craft is important. And in a field where technology is a key player, keeping up with the (music) times is VERY important. Yes, I get that. Our band gets that.

But there is something very crucial that speaks at the heart of the matter, I believe:

We have our preference in worship music styles. This cannot, however, dictate the fundamental mission of what we are called to do: worship.

Some in our church LOVE the loud, energetic praise that we sometimes put forth. This is the music with the overdriven electric guitars, loud drums, etc.

Others like the acoustic style praise of our early morning prayers. It is simple: one vocalist and one acoustic guitar (usually the same person). It is quiet and often reflective.

But I want to challenge our church to look beyond the preferences and look to the purpose. The purpose is to worship God. I hope that the music styles don’t serve as a distraction. On the flip side, I hope it doesn’t get to the point where you rely on the music so much that you need it to worship (how ironic did that just sound).

Continue to encourage our team with your requests. It gives us a feel for what people in our church are listening to. It helps us craft a service that takes the musical distraction out of the equation. If you don’t, and this is a threat, I might just have to start showcasing my rap skills in our Sunday set because I might be a bit out of touch with what the rest of our congregants listen to on a daily basis.

Christmas Music Did Not Originate in a Starbucks!

Contrary to popular belief, Christmas music did not originate in a Starbucks. In fact, it didn’t originate in any retail market or consumer-oriented space. They probably play the music to get you to pony up for a 8 dollar Venti Holiday Drink (ironically, I am drinking my holiday coffee while I am writing this).

Churches, too, seem to bust out the “Christmas carols” around this time of year. And it makes a lot of people feel warm and fuzzy inside. Sometimes I wonder if all of the connotations that are tied to Christmas music actually get in the way of our worship.

Christmas music is really a cross between celebration (Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard on High), reflection (Silent Night, The First Noel), adoration (O Come Let Us Adore) and worship (O Holy Night).

“Fall on your knees, hear the angels’ voices!” – This is a line from the re-translated “O Holy Night.” But here’s a literal translation from the original version of the song (actually a poem written in French):

“People kneel down, wait for Your deliverance. / Christmas, Christmas, here is the Redeemer.”

What a powerful proclamation. And a picture of people kneeling is before the Maker is a picture of worship.

We’re going to pull out a Christmas tune or two this holiday season at LHCC. Some will be freshened up to fit our musical flow. Some will be traditionally done since that sometimes fits (or contrasts) well. Regardless of how we present the song, one truth is constant. These are songs that need to be redeemed from the clutches of the world. Our God, our Jesus, deserves our hearts so we will put our hearts into these songs of worship.

Living Hope Community Church – I want to encourage you this season to do a couple of things in regards to the music:

• Worship through these songs instead of just being put into ‘holiday cheer.’
• Sing your heart out on Sunday to these familiar tunes of worship and adoration.
• Go online, look up the lyrics, and build it into your devotional time.
• Listen to Chris Tomlin’s “Glory in the Highest” album or David Crowder’s “Oh For Joy” album (both available on iTunes). They are wonderful Christmas/Praise albums for this time of year.

Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season. Lets jam for the Lamb together!

Merry Christmas!!!

Meet Dennis…

As promised, I will not be the only person to post on this blog. For the first in the series of “Meet…”, I have asked Dennis Park to contribute his thoughts. 

A word about Dennis before you see his post. I am immensely blessed to serve with Dennis. He is not only talented, but his heart is HUGE. He serves the church in a number of ways. He NEVER complains. He is first to show up and last to leave. He never flashes a sense of entitlement even though he is one of the few who could flash that badge if he wanted. I learn a lot from this guy each time I play with him. Check out his thoughts. You’ll see what I’m talking about in terms of where his heart is…very humbling. 

This is a post of thanks to all those that have led me into worship.  I’m not talking about just praise leaders or praise teams.  I’m talking about those in the congregation that showed me that praise is more than just karaoke or rock band.  It’s intimate.  It’s intense.  It ‘s humbling.  When I hear the congregation crying out “Hail to the King”, I’m almost in tears at envisioning this little church of sinful people giving it up to the almighty God.   The beauty of that picture overwhelms me.   We sing and proclaim “It’s all about you Jesus”.  Who are we that Jesus would even care? “No weeping, no hurt or pain / no suffering you hold me now.”  What a beautiful truth to shout together!

I’ve been so blessed to be on praise teams for the past 10+ years.  I’ve played with unbelievably talented people and teams.  I’ve spent hours and hours practicing and preparing to lead the congregation to worship.  The irony is that when I’m on that stage behind those drums, you lead me.  The second I glance above my toms and I see you worshipping there is a role reversal.  I see the intimacy of that moment you are having.  I see the intensity.  I feel the pain and the love.  I see how God is working in you and I know that He is alive.  I know that we are worshipping together.  It’s then compounded by that the fact we all are in sync musically.  The vocals are getting ready for that big chorus.  The drums are building.  The bass is driving.  The guitars are crunching.   When that chorus comes around and we as a church are all in sync not only musically but also spiritually.  Wow.  That is some powerful stuff.

Praise time at church is larger than the praise team. If you believe those words on that screen, praise passionately.  If you’re having a tough time, sit back, close your eyes, and let your brothers and sisters around you lead you into worship.

Thank you all for leading me into worship

–Dennis

Dennis playing at a retreat circa 2008.

Dennis is a drummer for our praise team. He has been playing the drums for quite some time. He (along with John “Bass”) is the longest-serving member of our team. He is heavily involved not just with praise but also evangelism and welcoming. He used to wear flip-flops to church because he couldn’t play drums with shoes on but after moving to New York for a few years and being back again, he now proudly wears shoes, claiming that he can’t play drums with flip-flops on. 

What Makes Good Music?

What Makes Music “Good”?

Before answering the question, there is probably a more important question to ask.

Who cares?

I’ve wrestled with the ‘good music’ question for probably over 15 years. I’ve thought about it the first time I joined the praise team when we didn’t even have a real drummer. We had one of those dorky drum machines or keyboards with drum sounds that was triggered by a human. This probably had more to do with a church aversion to the drums in the 90s (my previous church was very conservative about all things music), but I digress).

Does God really care about good music?

The short answer is yes and no.

And here I am explaining to my English classes that when they write an essay, they need to take a stance – no sitting on the fence. Well, as the author of the blog, I will do away with those writing conventions, at least for now. Yes and no! I guess any question that requires 15 years of wrestling is truly not an easy one albeit a simple one. In the book of Psalms, it says to play ‘skillfully’ to the LORD. So, on one hand, yes – God requires skill in the musicianship. But then we go on a long heart-journey learning about the ultimate importance of the heart in praise (and this over the music).

So I got to thinking – tone-deaf. Tone-deaf people (most people don’t even know they are tone-deaf if in fact they are) are not singing skillfully. Trust me. It sounds, well, lacking in any tone. But, when I hear it, I hear it. Some of these same people sing their hearts out, literally. They don’t hold back. What’s not to say that’s not pleasing to the Lord! My sons (both of them!) are not exactly world-beaters when it comes to singing. But, they give it their best shot and I bet that grandma or grandpa hearing them sing happy birthday with a dearth of true skill is still stirred and touched. So I wonder if our Heavenly Father who can see directly into our hearts feel the same way about our music. That ultimately, it’s the heart that counts. So then, no, God doesn’t really care about the music.

But then, what about my preparation? If I never put in a single minute to practice, I believe the music becomes irrelevant and the heart is revealed. The last time I checked, I practiced pretty hard for something that I perceived to be worthwhile (ie – piano recitals when I was younger). So all the more, isn’t the music in praise deserving of our full efforts. I believe so. So really, the heart and music has a synergistic relationship. For a musician especially, you need to constantly check both skill and heart. Otherwise, I believe you’re doing a disservice to worship and to our God.

So what makes good music?

I learned in my high school jazz band days as a guitarist/bassist that good music is easily recognized but not so easily understood. That makes sense. For whatever reason, I gravitate towards a “good song” on the radio while not even knowing why I like that particular song. I’m sure you’ve had that experience before. But Mr. Mitts taught me this gem: it’s all about ‘time.’

Ever wonder why songs on the radio always seem to sound good compared to what most people put out ‘live’? Time.

Ever feel that a particular weekend of praise was done especially skillfully but couldn’t nail down the exact reason why? Time.

Playing in time equals playing skillfully. And playing in time always sounds good. Even if wrong notes are played. Always.

We have many goals as a worship team. Heart-goals are at the top of that list. We constantly strive to be worshippers who are humble, broken, joyous, reverent and repentant.

But as far as musical goals go we have one: play in time all the time. That’s good music. That’s skill. And that CANNOT be achieved without a ton of practice, stretching our team beyond the comfort zone that we’ve been in the past few years. And I believe with our hearts aligned to the ultimate purpose of all these things, there will be a beautiful marriage of worship, heart and skill before the throne of our God.

A Homeless Praise Team

We are a homeless praise team. On any given day of the week, we have band members on opposite sides of Southern California (I consider Temecula the end of the world and Santa Clarita the other end of the world), equipment in one location, and better equipment in another location that we don’t have access to on any day but Sunday. It’s quite a challenge getting everything together for a rehearsal.

But yesterday got me thinking. We’re pretty close to having a home. In fact, yesterday, I tasted it a little bit.

We got to church at 8am. Dennis and Paul (drums and bass – rhythm section – how cute) were standing outside, dying to get inside so they could warm up. Andrew and I (we carpool often), along with “rhythm section” walked into the sanctuary and we were greeted by a very unfamiliar site: a ready-to-go stage!

Not one thing had to be plugged in, hauled over, fixed, etc. It was all ready to go because we rehearsed the day before and took care of all of the logistics on Saturday instead of on Sunday morning (which is what we are forced to do with our current worship location setup). So we warmed up, rehearsed for about 20 minutes and then the thought came to me…

[WORSHIP]

Huh? It’s 9:00am. Worship doesn’t start until 9:25am at our church. What do you mean [WORSHIP]? But there was that word, sitting in my heart, refusing to go anywhere.

We decided to head up to our rehearsal room which had a nice black Ovation guitar (no offense if you own one of those but the 80s was 30 years ago!) – and the word sat heavily in my heart – [WORSHIP].

Our team sat around in a circle, sang “The Heart of Worship” (one of my favorite worship tunes) and we worshipped. We invited God to be a major part of what was to happen that morning. After all, it is His house, and it is His people. Amazing things started to happen. Really, miracles. The anxieties of leading worship melted away. Here’s what I had on my heart before our little time of worship:

• It sounds like a giant bathroom in the sanctuary; the quality of sound in there is horrendous; it is IMPOSSIBLE to get a good sound in there!
• Did people practice their parts? Are we going to have any musical trainwrecks?
• I hope the Hospitality Ministry remembers to save us lunch since we’ll be cleaning up after the services.
• My son is ill with a fever, my wife didn’t get any sleep last night, and I, too, am exhausted. I sure can use a nap!
• I hope people don’t get upset that praise is too loud.

I am not making any of that up! I really had those things sitting front and center in my heart that morning. But at 9:00am as we began to focus on the Host of the celebration, Jesus himself, and we began to sing and pray, those anxieties left my heart and was replaced by one thought/goal:

[WORSHIP]

How will a permanent home change our ministry? We’re not going to get to church any later because we don’t have to set up. We’re going to do things that we should have been doing from a long time ago. We’re going to spend 20 minutes warming up and soundchecking (just making sure our monitor levels are right) and then we’re going to go minister to the Lord, to each other and to the church. We’re going to pray for each person who walks through that door – that they too would have this word tattooed right on their heart:

[WORSHIP]

That day can’t come soon enough!