Living a Lifestyle of Worship

As I sit here typing, my fingers are probably the only part of my body that does not hurt right now. You see, this week I began working out with a trainer...and not just any trainer...a psycho trainer. Keith (or "Big K" as I usually call him because I'm out of breath) LOVES this fitness stuff. He eats, sleeps and breathes it...and he's made it his goal to whip me and my training partners (my fellow church staff members) into shape. And whip he has done! Nearly every muscle in my body is intensely sore, or was intensely sore and is now only "really sore." You know, the kind of sore that causes you to just let your back itch because it's more painful to even try to scratch it!) So why do I do this? Why do I put up with the pain? The answer is because I know that 6 weeks from now I'll be in better health, I'll feel better, and I'll look better (and stop growing out of my clothes). I grew up hearing coaches say, "no pain, no gain." And I believe it.

Tonight I was also reading "The Shack" by William P. Young. I realize that it has been somewhat controversial in staunch religious circles; but then again, "religion" always challenges fresh thinking. You can say what you want to about the book's theology (or lack thereof) and the metaphors the author chooses, it paints a pretty fresh picture of how God (the Trinity) loves and interacts with us. I won't spoil the book for you if you haven't read it, but there is a chapter in which the main character, Mack, is talking with the Holy Spirit about "good" and "evil" and she challenges his definition of "good." (Yes, I said "she" - in this book, the Holy Spirit is depicted in the form of a woman - hence the controversy!) She suggests that humans are not capable within ourselves to define good and evil, because our perspective is skewed by our humanity. For instance, what benefits us we typically define as good, and what we don't like we define as evil. Unfortunately, there are 6 billion of us on the planet, and we all have different definitions.

Instead, she suggests that "evil" is simply the absence of God, just like "dark" is the absence of light. Where there is light, the darkness is gone...so where there is God, evil is not there. The point she's trying to make, is that when pain and hurt come into our life, our natural instinct is to flee from it and call it "evil." In reality, though, that's not always the case. Sometimes God allows pain into our life. Our natural tendency is to call it "evil," but in reality, God uses the pain to grow and mature us. I've recently been undergoing some heavy stress and trauma in multiple areas of my life...and naturally, all I want to do is to cry "evil" and run screaming into the woods. I really want to be found faithful at the end of this, but sometimes I just don't know how I'm gonna make it through. In my Bible study time the other day, however, I read this...

James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

Now, I've read the "consider it pure joy" part hundreds of time; but the line that caught my heart's eye this time was verse 4..."perseverance MUST finish its work so that you may be MATURE and COMPLETE, not lacking anything." So, the trials are necessary to develop perseverance; and perseverance is necessary for us to become mature and complete.



If I believe that God is over everything (which I do); and if I believe that God is always with me (which I do); and if I believe that He always has my best interests at heart (which I do); THEN, I have to look at pain, trials and frustrations differently. I have to see them, and the pain they cause me, as tools that God is using in my life. The pain I feel in my body right now from working out is intense...BUT, I know that the pain leads to muscular and cardiovascular growth. And I endure it with a smile because I know the outcome in my body will be worth it.

So why do I treat the trials of life any different? Why do I look at something unpleasant and cry "evil," instead of powering through it like I am this workout thing? God has my best interests at heart...there's no doubt in that. And just because it hurts, doesn't make it bad. And in point of fact, according to this scripture in James, sometimes it HAS to hurt in order to produce maturity in you. After all...no pain, no gain!

In two weeks our church is going to spend an entire Sunday focused on prayer. The music, the message, and even an afternoon event will all focus on prayer - in this case, particularly as it pertains to the need to pray for God's hand in our efforts to relocate our church campus.

As such, a friend of mine and I were discussing the concept of "praying without ceasing" today. Scripture instructs us to "pray without ceasing;" obviously this doesn't mean that we are to stay in our closets on our knees all day. So what does it mean? After a time of reflection and discussion, we came upon two pertinent things.

First, to pray without ceasing means that you have a continual open dialogue with God all the time - one that you can start, stop, restart, come back to later, etc. all the time. Driving down the road, when you see a pretty sunset and thank God for the beauty around us...or when you find yourself talking to someone and you begin to ask God for wisdom because they've just popped open the lid on a very sensitive subject...or when a new business deal comes across your desk, and you start your evaluation of it by asking God what He thinks...or whatever else. The point is, talking to God no longer stops with "the Big 3" (Sunday morning church, mealtimes, and right before your head hits the pillow). You are in constant contact with him all day, every day - alert to His presence, and open to His will.

Second, praying without ceasing keeps you focused with a Kingdom mindset. Ever notice how you feel pumped up and encouraged after going to church on Sunday, but by Monday afternoon you're beat down by all that is going on around you? When you're in continual communication with God, your connection to His Kingdom perspective stays intact. People's bad behavior is easier to handle because you can see their pain a little better through God's eye...bad news still hurts, but you can handle it better. In essence, you are more apt to react in a Godly manner to whatever situation comes your way.

Isn't it funny how money seems to rule our lives? If you've got a pulse, then it's likely that you're aware of the HUGE Wall Street crisis, mortgage lender collapses, etc. I've been reading Erwin McManus' book, "Soul Cravings," and today I read an entry with a story about his conversation with a man who believed that the whole world revolves around economics. You know, he made a really convincing argument. Erwin countered, however, that economics is simply about "agreed upon value." If two or more people agree that something has value, you then can have commerce. (Now I finally understand why there is a market for baseball cards and comic books!) Money, he argued, is what people agree has value...ergo, economics.

As Christians, you'd think we'd have a handle on money. After all, the Bible speaks a lot about it. What I have discovered, however, is quite the opposite. As a church staff member, I come across a lot of people who view money like the world does. As a tool for perceived power. I've literally been told by someone that if we did "such and such," he'd stop giving to the church. I wish that were an isolated incident, but it has totally broken my heart to watch how our church's giving decreases when we make an unpopular decision. They believe they can force whatever they want by withholding money from the church...instead of wielding power, however, they are robbing God! (Unfortunately, many pastors bow to that pressure, themselves not fully trusting God to provide for their finances.) How little do people really understand about God and money. And while this is such a HUGE area of weakness in our churches today, it is probably the least addressed topic by pastors! Why is that? Why do we chronically avoid teaching on such an important thing as money?

Money is simply a tool that God allows us to have, give, or use as the case may be. Just like the other resources or gifts He gives us, God gives us money to be used for His purposes. In God's economy, money is just like mercy, singing, teaching children, etc. He has a plan to accomplish His purposes, and money is only a cog in the wheel...it is an important part, but still just a part...

Money is also a tool that God uses to grow faith in us. Since the world economy revolves around money (as was established earlier), our money (or lack of it) is a way that God chooses to help us learn to trust Him. Those who don't have a lot it must learn to give it to God and trust Him for their needs. Those who have a lot of it must learn to give it to God and trust Him for their needs as well - differently than those who don't have a lot of money, but still learning to trust as well, and arguably harder because of the temptation to put your trust in money instead of God.

So I beg the question again...why do we avoid this topic in church, when how we spend our money plays such a POWERFUL role in our relationship with God?

One of the quickly growing trends in contemporary worship is to utilize music that is neither a hymn, nor a worship song, nor even mentions God…basically, “secular music.” In some churches today, I’ve heard “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2, “How to Save a Life” by The Fray, “Carry on My Wayward Son” by Kansas, “Long Black Train” by Josh Turner, “Bring Me to Life” by Evanescense, “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood, etc. The same is true for Christian radio as well…I’ve heard Christian recording artists do remakes and adaptations of songs like, “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler, “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel, “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, and others. My daughters have even begun singing a version of “All-Star” by Smashmouth (with re-written lyrics) that they learned in their Children’s Worship at church on Wednesday nights. Whether you agree with it or not, this is a trend that is here in a growing number of churches today...

When I was in college (more years ago than I care to admit), I remember discovering the dichotomy between “secular” and “religious” music, and the massive grey area that lies between. We sang all sorts of music, from Palestrina, to Brahms, to Wagner, to 20th Century, and nearly everything in between. Some of it was “religious” in nature (Bach’s Mass in B Minor), but some of it (like many of the art songs we learned in voice lessons) had nothing to do with God. All of it, however, was deemed appropriate. The popular music of the time, however, was deemed not only inappropriate, but unGodly. When the scandal and public outcry erupted surrounding Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith “selling out” and “crossing over” into “secular” media, the dichotomy hit me square in the face. It was OK for us to sing songs that had nothing to do with God in my Christian University, but it was not OK to sing other songs that did not have to do with God on the radio – even if they were written by a Christian and had no offensive material in them. Something about that did not sit well with me, and it sent me on a long journey of discovery. What about the theme song from the musical Oklahoma!? Was it OK to sing that? (Yes, I meant that pun!) What about other “secular songs” that didn’t mention God? Were they offensive because they didn’t mention God? Or were they just Good music?

I have come to believe, and I bet you will agree, that music is either moral or immoral. In and of itself, a song without lyrics is neither moral or immoral. You may like or hate the beat of Rap music, or love or deplore the sound of Country music – but nothing about either of those is inherently right or wrong. They are simply music…they simply are: and you either like them or not. What makes a song moral or immoral is the text. Immoral texts speak of things that are ungodly, perverse, sinful, etc., while moral texts are ones that are not immoral. Granted, many Rap songs and Country songs , etc. are immoral – and therefore should not be sung. However, all of them are not. That’s why it’s OK to sing Oklahoma! It, like so many other songs, are just nice songs that are fun to sing. They do not mention God, but neither do they dishonor nor discredit Him. There is nothing ungodly and offensive about them; so they are, therefore, moral songs.

The real grey area is this: are songs like that, which are moral but do not mention God, appropriate for use in worship services? What do you think?