Saturday, July 26, 2008

Karaoke


Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises.
Psalm 47:6


With its beginnings tracing back to Japan in the 1970’s, karaoke machines can now be found in clubs, restaurants, living rooms and kid’s bedrooms around the world. Love it or hate it karaoke is definitely a pop culture fad that has achieved world wide success. The amazing thing about karaoke, of course, is that it invites everyone and anyone to participate in singing. It got me thinking about singing in church.
I hope that our music in church is just as inviting of participation, after all, that is what the music is intended to do. There may be special opportunities for performance, but for the most part the main point of music in church should be to encourage and facilitate participation by each congregation member. We are coming together to lift our voices as we sing the truths of the faith and worship our Lord. For those of us who lead music, whether organist, choir member, guitar player or drummer (and the list could go on!), let us remember that we are there to help people recognize the presence of our God and to respond in worship! We are there not to perform for them but to accompany them as we worship together. For those of us who are members of the congregation, let us sing with all that we have. We are not there to be entertained but to worship, and our Lord deserves all that we can give.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Slinky II


I’ve just recently begun to learn about all the science that can be seen through the slinky at work. Firstly, it is a spring and thus demonstrates all the physics in springs, most notably Hooke’s law (F=kx) dealing with the behaviour of a spring when force is applied. But it doesn’t end there! The slinky can be used to demonstrate wave motion. By moving the ends of a stretched slinky side to side, one can observe transverse wave motion. By pinching coils of a stretched slinky and letting them go one can observe compressional wave motion like that of sound waves. And twisting one end of a stretched slinky and releasing it suddenly will create a shear wave that will reflect of the slinky’s ends. The slinky can also be used as a short wave radio antenna. And if all this wasn’t enough, it can also be used in physics experiments as a solenoid to induce a magnetic field to explore factors that affect such fields. The slinky is a great reminder that science is everywhere and in everything! Even the simplest of toys can lead to a world of discovery.
There is a sad perception these days that science and religion are at war. In all fairness, there are those in both the science and the religion camps that promote this view and the media love stories of conflict, protagonists and antagonists. When I read scripture, however, I note how often we are called to observe the natural world around us (consider the Psalms or even Romans 1:20) and that what we observe, should lead us to a sense of awe, wonder and worship. It can lead us towards God not away from Him.
Science is really only equipped to observe and test for natural causes. But just because it has no model to test for the supernatural does not mean that supernatural causes do not exist. It does not force us to dismiss the possibility of a supernatural Creator God who lies behind all the scientific laws that we observe, or who can intervene in an unpredictable event such as a miracle. On the contrary, if we follow the example of scripture, our observations can lead us to reverence and awe and lead us to a deeper appreciation of the majesty and wonder of our God.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Slinky


Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day.
Psalm 96:1-2



"What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And makes a slinky sound?A spring, a spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…It's Slinky, it's Slinky, for fun it's a wonderful toyIt's Slinky, it's Slinky, it's fun for a girl and a boy”

Every time I think about a slinky I get this jingle stuck in my head all day. Advertisers know the powerful effect that music can add to their efforts. There is something about music that helps things stick in our minds. I wonder if this is one of the reasons that scripture calls us to sing and that singing has played such a key role in the church over the generations. I was always amazed when visiting chronic care wards and senior’s residences that even those residence who could no longer even hold a coherent conversation, would sit up and sing every word of an old hymn from their youth. There is something powerful about music, especially when partnered with deep truth.
As well as a great encouragement to keep singing central to the faith, I think there is also a challenge for those of us who have the privilege of writing or choosing the music that our churches sing. What we want people to hear, sing and have planted deep within them are the truths of the faith. When we write music, are we concerned about honouring God and presenting biblical truth about who He is and what He stands for? Are we diligent about keeping our lyrics scripturally accountable? When we choose music for a Sunday morning, do we pick our favourite songs or do we reflect on the topic and scripture that will be used for the message? Will the songs help the truth being preached sink deep into the hearts and minds of our congregation? Are we diligent about checking the theology of the songs we are asking our people to sing? These are just a few questions I have been asking myself.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Magic 8 Ball


Life often leaves us with a lot of questions doesn’t it? One of those questions so often asked when things happen is “Why?” Despite the existence of the Magic 8 Ball – which claims to have an answer for everything, we all know that the why questions often go without a specific answers. As I read through the book of Job, I have been reminded of a few things. Firstly, God exists, is holy, righteous and worthy of our praise despite any circumstance. Secondly, there is a lot that happens which is beyond the scope of our finite perspective which often makes a full answer unknowable. As Job and his friends discover, the answer to a “why” question is not always as obvious as it seems. Sometimes I find myself getting stuck on the why questions, continuing to struggle for reasons and answers. Lately however, I have been thinking about some other questions like “What?” and “How?”.
Romans 8:28 makes a powerful statement when it states “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” For those who are believers, we have the assurance that in all things God works for the good. When circumstances tempt me to get stuck on the why question, I am challenging myself to ask other questions instead: What does God want to use this situation for?” “How is God going to use this for good?” or “How might God want to work through me in this circumstance?”
I might not ever know the “Why” in its full detail, but I have a feeling that a focus on the other questions it might be just as satisfying.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Chia Pet


They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
- Acts 2:42


Chia Pet was marketed as the “fun and easy” way to have a pet. It was a novelty for sure, and I think the thing that made it appealing was that it was quick and easy. It required very little work to start and it provided a quick rate of growth achieving a full coat in just over a week! Unlike other pets it required very little care to maintain. There is not much substance to a Chia Pet however, and part of me wonders if that is the reason that although very popular when first introduced, it is now relegated to fad status.
Although the Chia Pet may have been just a passing fad, the principle behind it still lingers on in so many areas of life. We seem to always be after the quick and easy solution or method to so many of life’s challenges. We are even tempted to take such an approach to our spiritual walk. The reality is, however, that some things just need hard work and dedication to be meaningful. I am reminded that the early church, as read about in Acts chapter 2, devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. We too must devote ourselves to such things. It is all too easy these days to read a snipit of scripture here, a quick devotion there (even this one!) and pray a snatch prayer to cover the bases. But a strong healthy spiritual walk will require more. We must be studying and meditating upon scripture, engaging with fellow believers in deep and meaningful ways, and spending time in prayer.
A question to ponder: What does your schedule suggest that you are devoted to?