Monday, July 30, 2012

A Servants Heart

I Took a nice 2 week vacation away from the DC area with my wife and son. The time away helped me get more perspective on the importance in living a life set apart to God. A life with real meaning, real purpose and one that reflects the new heart that God so graciously breathed into me. 

Lately I have focused my attention back on the Heart Of The Artist.

For the Christian artist there has to be a cultural shift from being self focused to being God focused. Boy, that is like walking a tightrope, a fine line between the praise we want from others and the pleasing work we do for God. 

Here is some more perspective on what the heart of the artist set apart to God needs to consider about Servant-hood:

Servant-hood is a counter-cultural notion; it goes
against human nature.

Pride is a hidden desire to be exalted.

Pride unfortunately is also one of those sins that is
so easy to see in others but not in ourselves.

The Bible says if you want to boast about something,
boast about God (2 Cor. 10:17).

If You want to boast about something boast about your
weakness and God's sufficiency (2 Cor 12:9).

A barrier to true servant hood is selfish ulterior
motives.

Another barrier to true servant-hood occurs when we put
all our confidence in our gifts, our natural
talent.

One of things that prevents us from experiencing God's
fullest blessing on our lives is our self-sufficiency.

When Artists have more confidence in their gifts and talents
than in the Lord, they leave the stage more worried
about how they looked or sounded than about whether
God used them. There more concerned with technique
than with substance.

Jesus is our ultimate example of servant-hood.

(Mark 10:45) "Even the Son of Man did not come to be
served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
to many".


What it all boils down to is that Jesus would be a
servant artist.

Jesus said it himself: "The greatest among you will be
your servant" (Matt 23:11).


After 2000 years the picture of Jesus washing the
disciples' feet is etched in our minds as a picture of serving with humility.

True humility is not cutting yourself down or letting
people walk all over you.

Don't beat yourself down and call it humility.

We need to regard ourselves with sound judgement.

True humility means having an accurate view of
ourselves, thinking we're no more or less than we are.

We must know our strengths and our weaknesses.

We must know what we are good at and accept what we
are not good at.

My Father once told me that in order for me to be successful, I should  surround myself with the best people. He meant ones that were better at certain things than I was I need in order to get the job done right. That would take a lot humility but well worth the result. At the same time these same people should be trustworthy and have great character and integrity. With those qualities in place the chances of doing the job done right increase immensely.
Just Sayin....................Dave










Thursday, July 12, 2012

A view from the Heart of the Artist

I searched for the first e-mail I sent to the New Hope Church Worship Team to see what I had written to them. Part of my job as their Worship Director was to minister and shepherd the team. The e-mail I found was sent April 2nd, 2004. I had written to the team about what I gleaned from the book the Heart of the Artist by Rory Nolan. I believe that aside from the spiritual, musical and technical talents and gifts that we artists are given, it is out of deep love for God from within the depths of our hearts, that we give Him the real glory and honor He deserves as we lead others in worship.


This may be unpopular to say, but there have been many occasions that I have been able to connect with God in worship more so by being led by a reasonably talented artist who has a deep love for God as opposed to one who has great talent but distracts from God because of the emphasis on themselves. With that said, God does expect that we serve with excellence, but I see that excellence stems from someones desire to truly love and worship God and not themselves.


So here is what I wrote to my fellow musicians and technicians:

Hey Everyone,
For those who are unable to attend our discussion I am  
(At this point in time I actually led a class on the Heart of the Artist before Band rehearsal)
going to send some portions of what we talked about.

It is Imperative that you and I keep growing
spiritually and artistically.

What Kind of person am I when no one is looking?

We need to be people of proven character.

What are the telltale signs of someone with Godly
Character:
A person who is loving
A person who has a clear conscience
A person who has an authentic relationship with the
lord.

God never intended our character growth to be a low
priority.

Character is becoming who God made us to be, and
integrity is doing what God wants us to do.

Treat all people with love and respect.

Paul says that his greatest ambition is to please
God (2 Cor. 5:9)

Are you living to please God or are you living to
please yourself?

Are you trying to bring a smile to God's face with
your talents, or is your main goal to gratify yourself
artistically?

We are not just artists we are ministers too.

God wants to raise up artists in the church who are
set apart for Him. These artists are different because
they have Godly character and integrity.




This is all for now I will send more later.....Dave

So the e-mail was short but you get the point. As artist in the church we are to live set apart 
to God not just on Sunday but everyday. We are to live a life of worship and prove that 
we love God by loving one another.  Just Sayin................Dave








Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Does the Church need to market Jesus?

I have been thinking a lot about the marketing of Jesus by the Church and wondering if the Church is crossing the line by hyping things up a bit too much. It seems to me that the Church is trying to sell itself to the world through promotions and gimmicks (Stuff the world likes)  to get people to come to Church, give the Church a hip image, or to buy into Christianity as a way to entice people to check off their spiritual box. I notice Churches using Social Media regularly to remind people of what is going on like special events, message series, etc.

Reminders are good and Social Media works well for that. But when the Church markets itself as the next best thing, (we have got what you want, we are just like you,  we are cool too, we will entertain you, and you don't want to miss all this great worldly appeal that will make you feel comfortable), then I'm thinking, is this really necessary? Why does the Church have to market itself to non-believers? We know that if people in the Church are truly devoted followers of Christ they naturally or supernaturally desire to participate in the Worship of God and good solid programs or missions the Church offers?  We know that people who are just fans of Jesus will come when they feel like it. We know that a non-believer will supernaturally get a softening of the heart in such a way that they will actually walk through the doors of  the church. Let's get this right, the Church is for the corporate worship of God and the edification of the Body, not a place to make non believers to feel comfortable and entertained. To me the Church should focus on the Worship of God and the truth of God's Word so that we, the body of Christ, get uncomfortable about living a partially devoted life to our Heavenly Father. God wants our everyday, not just our Sunday!

When Jesus fed the 4000/5000 there was no Social Media. He did not try sell a bill of goods to His followers and to those who came to see Him for various reasons. Jesus offered the gospel, the truth in love and fed those who were hungry spiritually and physically. Jesus did not tailor His message so that it would be palatable for all to receive. In fact, it is a hard teaching for one to surrender and die to self, to love God with all one's heart, soul, mind, and strength, to love one's neighbor as themselves, and to repent and turn away from sin.

We must take into account that there is the supernatural factor that plays into people coming to Church and receiving the gospel. Even the un-churched can be moved by the Holy Spirit to do both. Faith is a gift from God and at some point we were all unbelievers. So my point is this, reminders are good, but is all the hype really necessary?

Does the Church really need to sell itself to the world or should the Church allow for the power of the Holy Spirit to speak for Himself? As the Body of Christ we must remember who God is: Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide!

Just a thought...............Dave