this is amazing - www.thebricktestament.com
Thursday, 27 November 2008
A Foggy Day (In London Town)
I was a stranger in the city
Out of town were the people I knew
I had that feeling of self-pity
What to do, what to do, what to do
The outlook was decidedly blue
But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
It turned out to be the luckiest day Ive known
A foggy day, in London town
Had me low, had me down
I viewed the morning, with much alarm
British Museum, had lost its charm
How long I wondered,
Could this thing last
But the age of miracles, hadnt past
For suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London town,
The sun was shining everywhere
Out of town were the people I knew
I had that feeling of self-pity
What to do, what to do, what to do
The outlook was decidedly blue
But as I walked through the foggy streets alone
It turned out to be the luckiest day Ive known
A foggy day, in London town
Had me low, had me down
I viewed the morning, with much alarm
British Museum, had lost its charm
How long I wondered,
Could this thing last
But the age of miracles, hadnt past
For suddenly, I saw you there
And through foggy London town,
The sun was shining everywhere
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
lu.mi.nes.cence
I saw a perfect winter’s morning. The sun was low in the sky, just above the green hills, yet still bright and warm. The sky was a clear, vivid blue but only for a wisp of cloud. The air was cold and still. Then as I looked closer at this scene, towards the top, I saw it fray in the centre. As I reached out I realised that this wasn’t an actual vista, but it was a painting on a canvas.
The canvas continued to fray in the centre and soon the fray became a rip and the rip became a laceration until eventually the scene had become completely torn. However behind the rip was something even more beautiful. The brightest light imaginable shone from beyond the torn edges. A light so bright I could not bare to look at it because when it did catch my gaze I could feel it burn instantly in the back of my eyes.
The light was so radiant and so bold that it appeared to be solid. I was frightened to even raise a hand to shield my face. It felt as if I were even a single inch closer then I would be totally consumed. This light was so brilliant I could sense it not only with my sight, but by touch and taste and smell. I could even hear this light and it was ringing loud. Nothing else could be heard, yet it was a strange sound like a whisper and an explosion and a breath all at once.
As I stood, paralysed by the luminescence, I could feel my face changing. My body was starting to glow. It shone first from my face, then my hands and eventually my entire body. It was shining from both the surface of my skin and deep within from some unknown inner place. Light breaking through light. It was a thousand sensations all at once. Sheer joy. Utter silence. Intense energy. I had become the light.
At this moment, transformed into the body of light, I fell still. As I stood illuminated I felt lucid and beautiful, as if for the first time, truly alive.
The canvas continued to fray in the centre and soon the fray became a rip and the rip became a laceration until eventually the scene had become completely torn. However behind the rip was something even more beautiful. The brightest light imaginable shone from beyond the torn edges. A light so bright I could not bare to look at it because when it did catch my gaze I could feel it burn instantly in the back of my eyes.
The light was so radiant and so bold that it appeared to be solid. I was frightened to even raise a hand to shield my face. It felt as if I were even a single inch closer then I would be totally consumed. This light was so brilliant I could sense it not only with my sight, but by touch and taste and smell. I could even hear this light and it was ringing loud. Nothing else could be heard, yet it was a strange sound like a whisper and an explosion and a breath all at once.
As I stood, paralysed by the luminescence, I could feel my face changing. My body was starting to glow. It shone first from my face, then my hands and eventually my entire body. It was shining from both the surface of my skin and deep within from some unknown inner place. Light breaking through light. It was a thousand sensations all at once. Sheer joy. Utter silence. Intense energy. I had become the light.
At this moment, transformed into the body of light, I fell still. As I stood illuminated I felt lucid and beautiful, as if for the first time, truly alive.
Monday, 17 November 2008
Worship Cliché #3: Worship Music in the Charts Would Be Amazing!
The trouble with this is that on one level it would be. Like many I would love to see expressions of faith and worship to be heralded as the greatest pieces of art in our culture - much like Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel Ceiling or Handel’s Messiah. So it would make sense that worship music infiltrated the world of popular music, right? Yet I’m not so sure.
I can make sense of it to some degree - perhaps there would be some instant conversions and convictions when a song of worship was blasted over Radio 1 every 5 minutes, but I doubt it. Also I am not convinced people would hear a great worship track and think:
“Hey maybe Christianity isn’t so dusty and boring - they have catchy tunes! Maybe I’ll re-evaluate my whole life/belief system/way of living?”
Increasingly I am being invited to Facebook groups that say - “let’s get Tim Hughes to number one” or “Let’s petition to get a worship leader to sing at London 2012”. There is a growing belief that it would be amazing if the charts were full of worship music. My hunch is that although this belief is born out of good intentions (seeing God’s name worshipped and proclaimed in our culture) it slips into the trap of being dazzled by Celebrity culture and the age old distraction of using the established powers of influence for our own agenda.
This is the primary point of my argument - our focus needs to be God’s Kingdom breaking through rather than concentrating on appropriating the world’s power and influence to enforce its rule - whether that be media, government or monetary. It is a temptation that the Church constantly gives in to. We observe how much negative influence the powers of the world hold and we imagine what good could be done if we were in possession of them.
Much like many of the characters in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy - who would desire to use the ring for good but the power the ring yields will always corrupt the wearer. We desire to ‘wear the ring’ and ‘use it for good’ but there are so many examples over the history of the Church where we have misused the powers of this world. It is a dangerous game to play and we should always approach with extreme caution - we may well cause more damage than good.
My second complaint is perhaps more subjective - I think that artistic expressions, and particularly those which are intended as worship, should be given and offered as that alone - art and worship. I don’t believe that we should use worship for any other purpose than as an offering to God, even for good things like evangelism and justice. It is when the lines become blurred that our values get compromised.
Also, I hold a very idealistic view of art:
The aim of art is not to influence, it is to express, though strong expressions leave strong impressions.
The aim of art is not to affirm, it is to challenge, though it may lead to us holding stronger convictions.
The aim of art is not to change, it is to reflect, though when seeing a clear reflection we become aware of what needs changing
Worship and art can end up doing many wonderful things - but worship is not measured by its influence or even its fruit, but by its obedience. God has already made available for us all the power and resources we need to achieve what He has called us to achieve. We are called to be ‘Culture Shapers’ but we are better off doing things His way - building the Church, helping the poor, worshipping with all our hearts.
do you get what I’m trying to say?
dg
I can make sense of it to some degree - perhaps there would be some instant conversions and convictions when a song of worship was blasted over Radio 1 every 5 minutes, but I doubt it. Also I am not convinced people would hear a great worship track and think:
“Hey maybe Christianity isn’t so dusty and boring - they have catchy tunes! Maybe I’ll re-evaluate my whole life/belief system/way of living?”
Increasingly I am being invited to Facebook groups that say - “let’s get Tim Hughes to number one” or “Let’s petition to get a worship leader to sing at London 2012”. There is a growing belief that it would be amazing if the charts were full of worship music. My hunch is that although this belief is born out of good intentions (seeing God’s name worshipped and proclaimed in our culture) it slips into the trap of being dazzled by Celebrity culture and the age old distraction of using the established powers of influence for our own agenda.
This is the primary point of my argument - our focus needs to be God’s Kingdom breaking through rather than concentrating on appropriating the world’s power and influence to enforce its rule - whether that be media, government or monetary. It is a temptation that the Church constantly gives in to. We observe how much negative influence the powers of the world hold and we imagine what good could be done if we were in possession of them.
Much like many of the characters in the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy - who would desire to use the ring for good but the power the ring yields will always corrupt the wearer. We desire to ‘wear the ring’ and ‘use it for good’ but there are so many examples over the history of the Church where we have misused the powers of this world. It is a dangerous game to play and we should always approach with extreme caution - we may well cause more damage than good.
My second complaint is perhaps more subjective - I think that artistic expressions, and particularly those which are intended as worship, should be given and offered as that alone - art and worship. I don’t believe that we should use worship for any other purpose than as an offering to God, even for good things like evangelism and justice. It is when the lines become blurred that our values get compromised.
Also, I hold a very idealistic view of art:
The aim of art is not to influence, it is to express, though strong expressions leave strong impressions.
The aim of art is not to affirm, it is to challenge, though it may lead to us holding stronger convictions.
The aim of art is not to change, it is to reflect, though when seeing a clear reflection we become aware of what needs changing
Worship and art can end up doing many wonderful things - but worship is not measured by its influence or even its fruit, but by its obedience. God has already made available for us all the power and resources we need to achieve what He has called us to achieve. We are called to be ‘Culture Shapers’ but we are better off doing things His way - building the Church, helping the poor, worshipping with all our hearts.
'With that power I should have power too great and terrible. And over me the Ring would gain a power still greater and more deadly.' His eyes flashed and his face was lit as by a fire within. 'Do not tempt me! For I do not wish to become like the Dark Lord himself... I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe, unused. The wish to wield it would be too great for my strength. I shall have such need of it. Great perils lie before me.'
do you get what I’m trying to say?
dg
Thursday, 13 November 2008
A Similar Voice
Today I stumbled upon a blog by a friend of mine, Adrian McCartney,
who is a lovely man who leads a church just outside of Belfast... the words of his latest post echos many of my own feelings on 'the modern worship movement'... and here is a great excerpt:
Now I detest being told the latest worship leader is in town and we should all go to see or hear him/her. I have not bought a CD for over ten years and strangely seem no worse off in terms of my spiritual journey. If anything I am even more energised about following Jesus than I have ever been. I deplore adverts to buy worship, competitions to see who has sold the most, worship concerts, launching a CD, and “they have their own sound”. Can you imagine advertising the sale of your pastoral care, having a chart with best pastors on it, a theatre where you could come and watch someone delivering the latest pastoral care, launching your latest best pastoral care phrases in multiple languages and having a manager and a tour?Preserve me from the madness that has beset us!
amen
dg
Monday, 10 November 2008
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