Some exceptionally good food for thought. I don’t necessarily agree with all of it, but I’d love to see what you all think….
10 reasons to Boycott Christian Contemporary Music (if you aren’t already).
Music
Don’t Forget to Fly
Last night I went with several friends to see the high school production of Peter Pan. The students performed remarkably, and I found myself thoroughly entertained. The ending of Peter Pan, though, always bothers me a little bit.
At the end of the story, Wendy the “mother” to all the lost boys, ends up growing into an adult, marrying, and having a child of her own. Peter Pan, as promised, comes to visit years later to get Wendy to help with spring cleaning. Well, Wendy sates, “I have forgotten how to fly.” She simply cannot leave her life of responsibility to return to Neverland.
This is reminiscent of at least two other stories. I love the Chronicles of Narnia, but one melancholy moment that strikes me deeply is when the ever-so-logical Susan is no longer able to return to Narnia because she’s become so serious-minded, she can’t bring herself to believe in Aslan anymore. I am also reminded of the more recent Polar Express, where those who don’t believe in Santa cannot hear the jingling of the Christmas bell from Santa’s sleigh.
Where’s the balance? As a youth minister, I have the privilege of using my spiritual gift of goofiness to build bridges with young adults. I thoroughly enjoy laughing heartily, being silly, and subjecting myself to plenty of jokes and pranks. These things are a part of my joie de vivre, the joy of living.
Another part of my life, though, is the day-to-day responsibility. The bills, the meetings, sometimes having to wear a necktie, setting a good example, taking care of my health, etc. Peter Pan wouldn’t approve of many of these adult-level necessities.
Yet –
I still want to fly.
I still want to enter Narnia.
I still want to ride the Polar Express.
I am not about to abandon the things that I’ve committed to as an adult. I’m still working on making my “yes be yes, and my no be no.” However –
The other day I was speaking with a teenage friend of mine. She is an enthusiastic supporter of Compassion International, and is involved with a few international kids’ lives. She had recently received some new pictures of one of “her” children. We both noticed as we perused the photo was the lack of smiles on the faces in the picture. Many children and a few adults were at a birthday party. Not one person was smiling. Now, I would bet that before and after that camera flash flashed, most everyone was having an enjoyable time at the celebration. But some cultures (including American culture in previous generations), for some reason, do not think it’s necessary or proper to smile for a photo.
I don’t want my life to reflect these anti-smile photographic cultures. I don’t want to be so wrapped up in the seriousness of life that I forget to smile. Or laugh. Or fly.
Crossroads of Joy
That leads me to my goal, then. I have two goals that must, somehow, mesh. As I mentioned before, I won’t give up my adult responsibilities. That would be foolish. But I also do not want to trade in my smile for a scowl, my laugh for a grunt. Then I must look to constantly protect the culture of Brandon. What does that look like?
The Value of Humor
One of my business clients, a corporation that plans large-scale governmental and amateur sporting events, lists as one of their corporate values as “humor.” How refreshing is that?! They clearly take their business seriously, or else they would not have had the success they’ve enjoyed for a quarter of a century. But they haven’t forgotten to laugh. Or smile. Or, dare I say, “fly.”
As I approach my life, then, with all the meetings, bills, etc., I want to list as one of my values “humor.” I’m not talking about a superficial, fake laughter that comes at awkward moments. I’m not speaking of a pretend smile that is as detectable as generic macaroni and cheese (the stuff does not compare to Kraft!). I am talking about a genuine life, full of joy, laughter, smiles, and humor, infused by the joy that comes from a thankful heart. God is the giver of all good things, and when I’ve recognized His goodness toward me in small things and in big, I can’t help but smile.
I find myself
flying –
living in Narnia –
and believing in the giver of all good gifts.
Musical Time Machine
Last night some friends of mine and I met together for the second week in a row to listen to various pieces of classical music. Yesterday’s hang-out time was a tad more structured, in that we took turns choosing a performance on Youtube to listen to. We covered a wide range of music, but it was all beautiful in its own way. We even listened to some PDQ Bach, the fictitious son of JS Bach, with one of his hilarious creations! Here is the rundown, as I remember it:
Richard Strauss – Im Abendrot, soloist: Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw2eYc3RThM
Dvořák – Silent Woods, cello: Yo-Yo Ma
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x2bT9LLvTQ
Fauré Requiem, LIbera Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_qRMG0tUA
Rachmaninoff – Etude-tableau Op.33 No.5 in D minor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx0_ZoRugHY
Godowsky – Java Suite – X. In the Kraton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWZLx4a_Dss
Borodin String Quartet No: 2 in D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYIKIS4SVNg
Joseph Haydn – Symphony #45
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA7v1S7Rl_s
Yo-Yo Shreds at the Inauguration with Perlman et al.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka-sHA74N40
P.D.Q. Bach (Peter Schickele) – “New horizons in music appreciation” (Beethoven)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0vHpeUO5mw
Weaved throughout our listening experience were laughs, tidbits of history of the composers, and commentary. I felt like we had taken a time machine back to the 20s or before, where friends would pass the time by listening and/or playing music together, either gathered around a piano or at least a record player.
Yes, Youtube helped us in our endeavor. But the experience was almost magical, in that we enjoyed each other’s company and we were able to appreciate a wide variety of music in all its splendor. This may be a regular occurrence, which I’m excited about! Stay tuned for music notes and miscellany from next week’s hangout!
let’s NOT talk about the weather…
I just returned from the Chicago area, where I used to live. I got to spend ten days with some very good friends, and I want to share snapshots of the connective conversations I had the joy of engaging in with new acquaintances and old friends. Very grateful for the sharing of real life!
We spoke….
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About the futility of superficial relationships
About the gift of enthusiastic, genuine encouragement
About the usefulness of discontentedness in this life, that it points us to the only One who can satisfy
About the importance of communication in marriage and family relationships
About the joy of hard work
About the need for love, respect, and forgiveness in relationships
About the real-life weight of battling depression
About ministering to those who are depressed and suicidal
About the difficulties of and the need to love the unloveable
About the power of God through prayer (as opposed to “the power of prayer”)
About the roles of Scripture memory and worship in the on-the-spot fight against temptation
About the need to make your faith your own, and not taking for granted your parents’ faith
About the value of godly parenting
About the beauty of music
About the joy of singing with good friends
About the pleasure of reading good books
About the craft of writing about anything that happens to come your way in life
About the nature of the church in America, that it is being largely transformed by culture, and not so much the other way around
About the abundance of God’s provision
About the overwhelming beauty of God’s handiwork in creation
About the nature and value of discomfort in ministry
About the need to stay focused on the relational aspect of our walk with Christ as our motivation for obedience
About the necessity of avoiding being bound by the law or taking advantage of God’s grace (or, the need to find the middle area of the pendulum-swing between the two extremes)
About the danger of blindly following a human being who claims to have the corner market on truth
About the privilege of feeling like a part of the family, wherever true fellowship exists
About the life-giving nature of meaningful relationships
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Many thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to connect with some exceptionally wonderful, fun, enjoyable people over the course of the last ten days!
Melancholy Menagerie
Today has just been a surreal day for me. I’ve been especially drawn to revisiting pieces of my past. Even just now I’m listening to old cassette tapes from high school and shortly thereafter. Band and choir concerts, as well as mix tapes for various life events, including the passing of my mom in ’95. I’m not particularly missing her just now, just magnetized toward the last twelve years of my life. It’s the same sensation as going through my journals over the past decade – I almost feel like a peeping tom, looking at my life from the outside. The ups, the downs, the victories, the failures. All of them seem like they’re from another lifetime, from somebody else’s life. While I’m peeking at my life from afar just now, I am experiencing a coctail of emotions. Very strange mood I’m in…
The one thing I’m hanging on to just now is the thought of the Lord calling Himself the Alpha and the Omega. He’s not just the God of the Old Testament, or the New Testament, or the present, or the future, He is the God of all history, beginning through the end. He is in full command of all the universe and all time, including everything that He happens to choose to involve us in. He alone is stable, and He alone is trustworthy, He alone is good.
Even when I feel a sense of melancholy like tonight, I praise God in my heart for who He is, and what He does. Thanks, Lord.
Journey of the Emissary 