Bob Kauflin Sings Differently Than Me - Even Though We Worship the Same God

My friend Bob Kauflin has been posting some videos of a recent worship service over on Worship Matters blog. I have really enjoyed watching these for one big reason.

The underlying Biblical principles that we tried to address at last week’s Worship in Song Conference (audio here) are all there in what Bob is doing, however the way they work themselves out in his context is remarkably different than ours. A worship service at Grace Fellowship Church is going to “feel” a lot different than one at Covenant Life Church.

But there is a beauty in that; it reflects the diversity of Christ’s church.

And I think it sounds a warning to those who condemn anything that is not like them. Before we write off those who are different from us, we ought to think through what the Bible actually says that addresses the differences... not just listen to our yelling preferences.

Similarly, we ought to try and observe how many things we do alike, before we isolate those areas where we are different. I do not understand 1 Corinthians 14 in the same way Bob and the SGM folks do. One or both of us are wrong... but this is a secondary matter. And when it comes to secondary matters, the Scriptures give us much instruction on how to lovingly disagree (see Romans 14-15).

Cudo’s to Bob for posting, and for showing how they evaluate services in order to make them even better in the future.

[And I must add, if anything challenged my thinking on the Spirit’s ongoing prophetic work, it was Bob’s spontaneous song. I couldn’t write a song like that with two weeks and a tuned guitar! Although four years of classical training and 20 years leading corporate singing might help a bit. :-) ]

Hair

Having taken sufficient ribbing for my decreased follicle count, I thought it fitting to enlighten pastors with the first name IAN that there was a day when I had more hair on my head than my current dog. This should serve as an example that life under the sun leads the way of all the earth and those who giggle, "Go up, thou baldhead, go up!" ought look over their shoulder for carnivorous bears.

[Update: How about that Picasa? Photo is fixed.]

Moses Was a Druggie? I Think Not...

Moses was high on drugs: Israeli researcher - Yahoo! Canada News

Benny Shanon, a professor of cognitive psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has cleared up everything... or else he was back using ayahuasca when he wrote this article for the Time and Mind journal of philosophy.

In the article, Shanon relays his conclusion that the only explanation for what Moses was doing on Mt. Sinai was mind-altering drugs he must have nibbled off of a nearby Acacia tree. Nothing like a little bark between your teeth.

This is profoundly silly for so many reasons, but I offer one. There is not a single example of mind-altering substances enhancing the thinking of the user except in the perception of the user. That Moses could get high on bark, then pen the Ten Commandments is about as ludicrous a proposition as I have ever heard.

Benny Shanon has had his two minutes of fame. Unfortunately for him, all it has done is shown that his summer in the Amazon ingesting psychotropic plants may have done more damage than he was aware.

Worship in Song Conference - Audio Available

The audio recordings for Worship in Song are available here.

Just remember, they are free... and you get what you pay for!

CJ Talks About Caring for Others Using the Word...

Sovereign Grace Blog - C.J. Mahaney's View from the Cheap Seats & Other Stuff:

"Permit me to put this story on pause in order to explain why I normally draw attention to just one verse when I have the privilege of caring for someone.

This approach of focusing on one specific passage in counseling settings is one I learned from my friend David Powlison, articulated in his article “Think Globally, Act Locally.” He writes,

In a nutshell, connect one bit of Scripture to one bit of life. In other words, always ask two questions for yourself and others: What is your current struggle? What about God in Christ connects to this? … Apply one relevant thing from our Redeemer to one significant scene in this person’s story. Bring one bit of Bible to one bit of life. You can’t say it all at once. (The Journal of Biblical Counseling, Fall 2003, p. 3)

Well, you cannot and should not say it all at once, but that hasn’t stopped me from trying in the past! My impulse is to help others by downloading as much information as possible. But I’ve learned this is not wise and really unhelpful. Those we counsel can contemplate and apply a limited amount of information, so in caring for their souls—and especially in the immediate situation—I want to provide counsel they can easily consider and remember. And that’s where David’s wisdom proves so valuable.

In these situations, we must restrain the impulse to bury others under vast amounts of theological information."

(Emphasis mine. Because I thought it was important!)

WIS 2008 - The Band of Brothers

"The Boys Goofing Around Before Practice Friday Night"

A big part of what we tried to do at WIS was model... and no, that did not involve a runway.

We are blessed every week to be led in our singing worship by the guys we affectionately call, The Band of Brothers. Dave, Ken, Jim and Josh play week by week... and we brought back our ringer "Special K" for percussion. These guys ministered on Saturday playing 19 songs in 4 sets with no practice times between leading. Plus, most of them were also leading workshops in the one time they might have taken a break. It was a day of serving for them... just like they do all the time in our church.

If the Lord ministered to you via the boys yesterday, feel free to leave a comment here for them and I will be sure to pass it along. (Unless you guys still read my blog? Do you read my blog BofB???!?) :-)