But then, no artist is normal; if he were, he wouldn't be an artist. Normal men don't create works of art. They eat, sleep, hold down routine jobs, and die. You are hypersensitive to life and nature; that's why you are able to interpret for the rest of us. But if you are not careful, that very hypersensitiveness will lead you to your destruction. The strain of it breaks every artist in time.

~ Irving Stone, Lust for Life

Friday, November 23, 2012

On the Offense

Since we, as artists, put so much time and effort into our craft, we feel a particular strong ownership for our talents. We work relentlessly at trying to become excellent and put in countless hours mulling over the pros and cons of our abilities. It is because of this strong focus on our talents that we can become overly sensitive about feedback.

As we practice, our self-evaluation will often go into hyperdrive and we become extra in tune to "picking up signals from people. [These are] things that others might not even notice. Because we're going to pick up a lot of things like that, we need to be careful that we don't pick up something that's not really there." (Noland, 158).

We need to make sure that we are not taking offense to something when no offense was intended. Specifically, we need to make sure that all of our pride in our craft has not caused us to walk around with a chip on our shoulder. After all "He who seeks good finds goodwill, but evil comes to him
who searches for it" (Proverbs 11:27). Noland astutely states, "don't make a big deal out of a comment that was not intended to be a big deal" (Noland, 158).

Being overly sensitive is something that we see throughout the bible with not so pleasant consequences. As an example, Noland shares a portion of the story of Samuel. Specifically, the elders of Israel approached Samuel and asked him to appoint another king to rule over them. This was extremely offensive to Samuel because he felt like Israel didn't like his leadership and almost caused a civil war. While Samuel was fuming over there request, God simply stated, "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king" (1 Samuel 8:7). Noland paraphrases this by saying, "in other words, God said to him, 'Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill, Samuel. This isn't about you, so don't take it personally" (Noland, 159).

Really, the only way to solve this conflict is to talk openly about the comment. Seek out the person that you felt slighted by and have a conversation about the comment. Typically, you will find that you took the comment more personally than it was ever intended. "So be careful not to take offense if none was intended" (Noland, 159)

In our worship team, what should we do if we disagree with someone's review of their work? Is this something that we need to work on as a team? If so, what do you think we can do to ensure that we are building each other up while continuing to be honest with each other about growth areas?

Friday, November 16, 2012

Are You Threatening Me?



What do you get when you cross Allison Reynolds, Andrew Clark, John Bender, Brian Johnson, and Claire Standish? Well, The Breakfast Club of course! This cult classic comically illustrates how five teens from five different defensive cliques overcome certain personality traits. The main reason this comedy became such a success is that it spoke to a broad audience’s fears about taking down defensive walls.
Everyone is defensive, but artists seem to be especially more so. Therefore, we need to learn how to manage that defensiveness so that it does not get in the way of our ability to excel at our craft. In The Heart of the Artist, Noland talks in great lengths about the dangers of defensiveness. He opens the discussion by stating, “Sometimes those of use with artistic temperaments get defensive when we’re criticized. We can be overly sensitive, and we let the least little thing hurt us. Sometimes we’re offended even when no offense was intended, and we take things more personally than they were meant to be taken” (Noland, 155). Sadly, oftentimes, the person who seems to be the most defensive doesn’t even realize that they are being so defensive. This problem is kind of a Catch 22. How do you tell an overly defensive person that they are being overly defensive?
The first step is to take an honest look at yourself and see if you are being overly defensive. Even if we’re being honest, probably most of us would say we are not a defensive person because it is hard for us to recognize that trait in ourselves. This means, instead, that we need to be aware that we may be overly defensive and be hypersensitive to how we listen to other’s feedback. Noland aptly states, “we can’t grow as artists until we deal with this character issue, which can be a blind spot for us artists.”
If we fail to address this blind spot, we will fail as artists. Noland lists three specific detrimental outcomes of defensiveness that occur when we are not open to feedback:
1.       Defensiveness Alienates Us from Others
“People reject someone who’s chronically defensive. The irony here is that the overly sensitive person eventually becomes insensitive to others because they’re so self-absorbed. What starts out as a defense mechanism against being hurt turns out to inflict an even greater hurt: loneliness and alienation. This isn’t good for the artist who’s trying to experience community or trying to build meaningful relationships in his or her life” (Noland, 156)

2.       Defensiveness Keeps Us from the Truth

“People tend to shy away from being honest with overly sensitive people, because they don’t want to hurt them…  [but] believe me, being deceived about your abilities is far worse than knowing and accepting your strengths and weaknesses” (Noland, 157)

3.       Defensiveness Keeps Us from Being All We Can Be
“When we allow ourselves to be defensive, we stop growing as people and as artists. Sometimes we get defensive because we feel threatened. We think we have to protect ourselves and our art. But the very thing we’re trying to protect suffers the most from our defensiveness. That’s because we cut ourselves off from that which can help us flourish as artists: constructive feedback” (Noland, 158)
Taking into account what you have learned and what you already know about defensiveness, answer the following questions:
1.       What causes an artist to be defensive?

2.       Why is defensiveness such a blind spot for artists?

3.       Have you known any defensive people in your life? How did their defensiveness affect you?

4.       Have you ever felt offended by someone and found out later that they didn’t mean to hurt you? What did you learn from that?

5.       Can you think of someone who takes criticism well or responds to suggestions with grace? What do you notice about the way this person handles those kinds of things?

Friday, November 9, 2012

Handling Criticism


We are now beginning the chapter on handling criticism (gulp). Noland begins the chapter with an anecdote and a set of study questions that definitely serves to touch a chord in all of us. At some point, we have all mishandled criticism and it has been very detrimental to our own ability to worship and lead others in worship. Here is Noland's story:

Justin is a sound technician at Southport Community Church. He puts in a lot of hours volunteering at the church. For most every service or major event, he's the first on there and the last one to leave. He sets up the sound equipment for the service, mixes drama, band, and vocals, and runs the lights. During the week he maintains the church's sound and lighting gear, and he's been doing all this for well over ten years. The church doesn't pay him and he's okay with that, even though he could easily spend more than forty hours a week there. He knows how rare it is for a church to hire a technical director. So he teaches physical education at the grade school every day and then runs over to the church by late afternoon. He enjoys what he does at the church, but lately he's been at odds with Sam, the new programming director. Sam's got all sorts of new ideas that put Justin on tilt every time they talk.

When they first met, Sam gave Justin a long list of changes he wanted to make. First of all, he wanted to lengthen rehearsal time, which meant that Justin would have to be at the church even earlier. Justin was already stressed out from all the hours he was putting in. He couldn't help but think, what's wrong with the way we were doing things before? Sam wanted new monitors, he wanted to move the speakers in the sanctuary, he wanted to mic the drums differently, and he wanted to go stereo with all the keyboards. Justin thought, Who does this guy think he is to come in here and change everything?

One of the changes that has been especially difficult for Justin has been the evaluation meeting he's now forced to attend very early every Monday morning. The key leaders involved in putting the service together meet with the pastor at a local restaurant and critique the previous day's service. This is hard for Justin. Every time anything negative comes up about the sound or lighting, he gets very defensive. One time the pastor asked why his lapel mic sounded as if it were on the verge of feedback during the sermon, and Justin snapped back saying, "Well, if I had some decent equipment to work with, we wouldn't have this problem." No one knew what to say. The conversation moved on, but Justin wasn't really listening during the rest of the meeting. He was lost in a series of negative and defensive thoughts: They have no idea how hard I work... I'm doing the best I can... They're luck to have me... No one else would put up with all this... I dont' get paid to do this...

Sam has made several suggestions about the band mix and vocal sound that haven't set real well with Justin. One time Same was onstage and asked for less reverb on the group vocals and more "warmth." This made Justin angry. I know what I'm doing. I don't need anybody to tell me how to run sound, he thought. But he complied, and even had to admit that less reverb gave the overall sound more clarity. To add insult to injury, several people complimented Justin on the mix as they left church that morning. Many people said they could hear the lyrics better. Justin appreciated their innocent encouragement, but he still didn't like the idea of that new guy Sam telling him how to do his job.

The communication between the two men has seemed like a tug-of-war. Every time Sam makes a suggestion, Justin asks why and then grudgingly complies. As a result, there is a tension at every sound check, every meeting, and every service. People feel as if they have to walk on eggshells when they're around Justin, because he takes even the slightest bit of criticism so personally. He seems angry all the time.

To make things worse, the two men clashed over a moral issue that came to the surface in Justin's life. Justin and his fiancee, who wasn't a believer, had been living together for several months. When Sam confronted him about it, Justin at first denied it. Sam persisted, and Justin accused him of being judgmental, pointing out that the decision to live together was a financial one.

The straw that broke the camel's back, however, may have occurred last week. More singers than usual were to perform during the service. A microphones were being handed out ten minutes before the service was to start, someone discovered two bad microphone cords - and no spares. Justin had been meaning to buy some new cords, but he just hadn't gotten around to it. He had dropped the ball. When Sam anxiously questioned him about it, Justin became defensive and angry, finally telling Sam, "If you want mic cords, get 'em yourself!"

During the service Justin could hardly concentrate. He was seething inside. He was angry at Sam, he was angry with everyone onstage, and he was angry at the church. His thoughts outpaced his emotions. What right does this newcomer have to make such outrageous demands all the time? And where does he get off, telling me how to do my job? Doesn't he think I know what I'm doing? If it wasn't for me, this service wouldn't even be happening. I deserve to be treated better than this. The anger burned hotter and hotter until Justin couldn't take it anymore. He got up and left, right in the middle of the opening song. He turned the board off and everything went dead. There was a loud boom throughout the auditorium, and the entire congregation turned and watched Justin storm out of the booth, down the hall, and out the door.

After the service, Sam tried several times to call Justin at home, but Justin was screening his calls and never picked up the phone. In his own way he was trying to punish Sam. He had everyone's attention now and he wanted to make his point. He sat home alone, sulking in front of the TV.

1. Why do you think Justin reacted negatively to every suggestion Sam made?

2. What would you suggest Justin do to patch up his relationship with Sam?

3. What should Sam do next to try to patch things up with Justin?

4. Do you think Sam was right in confronting Justin about living with his fiancee?

5. Is there any way the tension between Justin and Sam could have been avoided? What could they have done differently that would have enabled them to work together more harmoniously?

6. How does a defensive spirit affect rehearsals?

7. How should an artist handle criticism?

Friday, November 2, 2012

Gotta Have Faith


We have been going through The Heart of the Artist for three months now. As a group we have learned a great deal about each other, ourselves, and God's purpose for our gifts. Sometimes sharing with each other has been hard, reading the posts have seemed too time consuming, attending church when we are not 'on' a chore, and reading the bible non-existent. Yet, there have been other times where we have felt reborn in our convictions, touched to the core by other's faith, and pushed to become excellent for God's work. Regardless where we are in our walk of faith, one concept remains at the forefront. In order to provide authentic worship, we need to be authentically walking with God.

Noland decides to wrap up the chapter on Excellence vs. Perfectionism by reiterating the absolute necessity of spiritual preparation. He states, "I've discovered over the years how crucial it is for Christian artists to prepare their hearts and minds spiritually before they create or perform" (Noland, 144). While elementary in word form, this is something that is required for excellent worship. Even the apostle Paul spent 14 years developing his spirit before truly taking on the ministry! If Paul needed 14 years, how much more time do we need to provide?

Many of us have not been taking our spiritual preparation seriously and it shows. It is very difficult to lead an authentic worship when we have not taken the time to work on our own walk with God. This means that all of us need to contribute to our growth as a team (read and respond to the blog, book, and/or group discussions) and to ourselves individually.

So, what kind of things can we do to prepare spiritually? Noland gives several suggestions. One of his suggestions is to engage in group reflection and study. Another suggestion he makes is to have a "discussion of the lyrics" of our songs. He explains that we may even want to "pray over the lyrics or pray for the congregation to receive those lyrics with open hearts" (Noland, 145). In this way, we can "own what the song is saying... and communicate the song in the most effective way. If the song doesn't first minister to the one singing it, it won't minister to anyone else" (Noland, 145). In addition, those of us touched by certain songs can share our experiences. Shared insights can develop sincerity. Many songs, when the lyrics are lived out, can have a huge impact on our worship.

All of the points that Noland has made in this chapter can be summed up in the points below:
1. Develop our spirituality as a team
2. Take ownership for our individual spirituality
3. Always strive for excellence in our worship

It is very important that you have accountability for maintaining your spirituality and excellence. This means that you need to take on the knee-knocking task of owning up to your contributions and failures as a leader in worship. For this reflection post answer ALL the questions:

1. What are you doing to develop our team's spirituality in a positive way?
2. What are you doing to develop your own spirituality?
3. What do you do to make sure that you are excelling at your worship craft?

Friday, October 26, 2012

Focus People, Focus!

Have you ever listened to a speech, watched a movie, or driven a long distance in the car while wondering why in the world you agreed to listen to that speech, watch that movie, or taken that drive? Chances are the speech, movie, and drive all had the potential to be great if they were better planned out. If someone had taken the time to put themselves in the stadium, recliner, or passenger seat and understood how the communication of their message would be received, then chances are you wouldn't be wanting to pull your hair out strand by strand while counting the clicks of the clock on the wall while praying for it to end.

Nearly all of the great speeches and movies were first tested by focus groups so that the authors could get a preview of the outcome of their product. In addition, many travel sites give drivers and passengers a variety of things to do while enroute to make a trip more fun. So, while entities of the world spend endless hours and money developing a great product by focusing on effective communication, why is it that we Christians rarely take the time to really think about how we are communicating the greatest message? This conundrum is something that especially effects worship teams. Noland specifically states, "All artists need to know that communication [of their art] is just as important as technique" (Noland, 142).

As artists, we have the responsibility to acknowledge that our art form, when communicated effectively, can connect with people on a greater level than is possible to put down in words. Noland explains, "Art at its best stimulates the mind and moves the soul. If we in the local church don't get serious about how to communicate effectively, our art will move no one. No matter how accomplished or sophisticated we are, if thought is not given to communicating clearly, how are we going to reach people with our art? Paul has an interesting point in 1 Corinthians 14:7-9: "Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes? Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle? So it is with you, unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air" (Noland, 142).

We have all experienced worship with phenomenal musicians who have failed to make our souls fill with worship. Conversely, we have all, also, experienced mediocre musicians bring down the house with their spirit. So, we must continually ask our self the question: "Are we spending as much time thinking about how our message will be received as practicing our technique?" We may be fantastic at our craft, but fail to lead worship.

In order to ensure that we are communicating effectively, we need to be intentional with our efforts. This means that we all should be discussing what sort of outcome we would like from every song or other art form. Since not everyone picks every song, we need to have those who picked the song explain to those who will be using the song as a catalyst to lead worship what the intent of the song is. That way, we may be unified in our efforts to clearly communicate the Message.

In addition, we need to practice using our whole body in worship during rehearsals. Noland illustrates that worshiping with our arms straight at our sides, eyes averted to our music, and blank faces seems unnatural and does not effectively communicate the love of God (Noland, 143). Since using our whole body to worship may be a bit uncomfortable at first, it is really important to practice it during rehearsal so that we will be comfortable and genuine when we worship with the congregation.

In case you haven't figured out the incredible importance of communicating with everything we have, Noland leaves us with one last point, "We in the church need to take communication seriously, because we've been given the charge to communicate the Good News" (Noland, 144).

Are you convinced that it's important for art in the church to communicate clearly? What should we do to make sure that we are communicating clearly? What will you do to make sure that you are communicating clearly through worship?

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

New Song


Throughout the Bible God celebrates creativity and unique ways to worship him. Continually, he reminds us that all things that are good are from him. We need this constant reminder because we often find ourselves creating rules and putting parameters on what we consider to be the best way or the only way to worship Him and provide worship opportunities for others to worship Him.

One example that Noland highlights is the way God explains how He wants the tabernacle made in Exodus 28:33. It gets interesting when God explains to the "artists" how to construct the priests' garments. These artists were "instructed to create blue, purple, and scarlet pomegranates" (Noland, 141). Isn't it interesting how pomegranates "can be purple and scarlet during various stages of their growth, but never blue. Imagine that - a blue pomegranate. In other words, the artists didn't have to make exact duplicates of nature. They could bring something new and refreshingly different to their work" (Noland, 141). This highlights the fact that we are given the freedom to bring our artistic gifts and creativity to how we worship.

Because there are so many pleasing ways to worship God, we may find that we do not agree with each other on the way that worship should be conducted. Some of us love the tradition of hymns and songs that we loved as children in the church. Others of us may want to experience Sunday worship by bringing down the house with joyful jubilee and professed hallelujahs. Then again, a portion of us may be thinking too much about what kind of worship is best without allowing for God's input or work on our spirit. How many of us have sat in the congregation on Sundays and spent more time thinking about the worship music than focusing on our own worship?

Noland emphasizes in this section that we need to embrace different kinds of worship, which means being open to the new and different. He states, "that's why God's Word encourages us to sing to the Lord a 'new song' (Ps 33:3) (Noland, 142). We need to be open to other forms of worship (not just musically) and feel that our worship community is open to our ideas of worship. (Spoiler alert: the next post will be about open communication...).

For this post, reflect upon a current worship method at our church that you love and/or you feel the congregation loves. Then, explain a worship style or practice that you would like to add to our current method.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Artistic Integrity


Up until this point, Noland has discussed the downfalls of perfectionism in great detail. Perfectionist tendencies are capable of ruining an artist and a worship environment. Yet, this doesn't mean that we now have the freedom to show up as an artist without putting any effort into our craft. Instead, we must learn to practice artistic integrity by taking the time to develop our skills in a way that honors God. This has the potential of being a really tricky line to walk because there is not very much space between artistic integrity and perfectionism. As artists, we need to be careful to become excellent at our craft without becoming a perfectionist.

First, we need to understand what artistic integrity is. Noland explains that we must not "strive to be perfect; instead [we must] try to perform or create skillfully. In other words, do the best [we] can with the talent [we've] been given. It doesn't glorify God to be mediocre."

Throughout the bible, God continually exhibits creativity and skillful artistry in his creations. He shows us that He delights in those who continually work on developing their gifts to honor Him. For example, in the Old Testament a man named Kenaniah was extremely skillful and was, thus, singled out for leadership. He achieved this leadership because he continually worked on developing his craft to its fullest potential while always remaining focused on God (1 Chron. 15:22). Clearly, he had artistic integrity.

By looking at the book of First Chronicals, we can see that the development of artistic skill is very important. These artists took numerous classes and lessons. They were highly trained. We need to become more like these artists and take the time to become excellent at our craft.

There is often a misconception that because we are practicing our craft in church we do not need to work as hard. Conversely, we should be doing the exact opposite! "For too long artistry in the church has been thrown together without much regard for quality. For too long we've muttered under our breath 'Aw, it's good enough for church,' and the result is that church art (especially music) has come to be associated with insipid mediocrity. Some of us only do enough to goet by. God deserves so much more than that. He deserves our very best" (Noland, 139). God gave each of us a specific talent and we are directly responsible for how we ust that talent. It must greatly grieve him to watch us barely putting effort into our worship when we put so much effort into other worldly passions. Schaeffer states that "Of all people, Christians should be addicted to quality and integrity in every area, not be looking for excuses for second-best."

This means that we need to become extremely intentional with our craft by working to continually better ourselves. We can do this by exposing ourselves to the great arts and learning from them. This doesn't mean that we only pay attention to Christian artists though. We can learn to become better artists through a plethora of mediums. Thus, "we should be attending exhibits, concerts, plays, movies, and musicals to broaden our artistic horizons" (Noland, 138). We need to expose ourselves to excellence in order to become excellent.

Don't be fooled though, artistic integrity means lots of hard work. "There is a price to be paid for excellence... This is no time for our artists in the church to be lazy. God is on the verge of using the arts in a mighty way. The days of us in the church producing art in a mediocre fashion are over. Being lazy with our talent is more a sign of being comfortable than being committed" (Noland, 139).

Noland states that we need to create artistic integrity by committing to becoming excellent at our craft. This means that we need to take time to practice, learn, and be open to coaching. As in anything that takes work, the best way to ensure that we are all taking the time to become better at our talents is by sharing what we are doing (or will be doing) with each other. For this post, share in the comment section what you are or will be doing to become more excellent at your craft.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pursuing Excellence


Rory Noland has some awesome things to say about pursuing excellence that I believe needs to be heard without paraphrase. Why "recreate the wheel" when it's already said so well? Here is what he has to say: (You can find this passage on pages 136-137 of your Heart of Worship book)

By now some of you might be saying, "Now, wait a minute. Didn't the masters and the great artists of history have a perfectionistic streak that catapulted their art into greatness? Wasn't perfectionism part of their genius?" It's my observation that pursuing perfectionism is destructive to the artist and his or her art. Perfectionism is unhealthy. It inhibits performance and stifles creativity. I think the best artists pursue excellence, not perfection. In fact, I'd like to propose that perfectionism is more or less the evil twin of excellence. While perfectionism is destructive and man-centered, pursuing excellence is constructive and God-honoring. Instead of pursuing perfection, we need to pursue excellence.

Nancy Breach, our programming director here at Willow Creek, defines excellence as "doing the best you can with what you have." No matter how much or how little talent we've been given, we can all try to do our best. For all of you perfectionists out there, note the word TRY. God understands that we're not perfect. All He's asking us to do is to try. No matter where you are in your development as an artist, we can all try to do things with excellence. You don't have to be a professional to do the best you can with what you have. you don't even have to be an accomplished artist. you just have to be willing to try to do your best.

Pursuing excellence means we do our best with what we have, to the glory of God. He is worthy of our very best. We serve an ultimately creative God. When He created the world, He imbued it with breathtaking beauty and awe-inspiring majesty. God didn't just throw things together when He created the universe. He modeled creative excellence for us. Seven times during the Genesis account of creation, God stands back, looks at what He's created, and says, "It is good." It's obvious that we serve a God who delights in creativity and values doing things with excellence.

Excellence is also a powerful witness for Christ. Most non-Christians who ever end up in church expect the music to be lousy and outdated. They don't expect to be moved by drama or dance or the visual arts. Wouldn't it be great if they were to come expecting the worst but instead found the arts produced with creativity and excellence? Wouldn't it be great if the local church were leading the way in artistic excellence for our culture? Proverbs 22:29 says, "Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before Kings; he will not serve before obscure men." When we do things with excellence, the world will sit up and take notice, and we can point them to the God who created us, gifted us, and loves us.

Noland outlines several different points in the above passage that need some consideration:

1. Perfectionism is destructive and excellence is constructive and God honoring
2. We must always TRY for excellence no matter what
3. As Christian artists, we have a powerful tool at our fingertips that can engage non-believers and begin their Christ-centered conversations

Reflect on this passage by giving your insight on one of the major points. It would be valuable to hear how one of the points may be practiced in our worship team, how we may continue to move forward and be "current", or even personal success stories of how we have achieved one of the points.

Thank you for sharing!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

The Big Picture


As we continually strive to honor God with our gifts of worship, we need to set realistic expectations. Even though we may desire perfectionism, we have to acknowledge the fact that we will never be perfect and that God does not expect us to be perfect. He can take our imperfections and use them for His good. What we really need to do, then, is understand that there is a greater purpose at work than ours; a "big picture" per se.

For a small portion of us, this realization that we don't need to shoulder the burden of making sure that we worship perfectly in order to bring about God's will is a great relief. For a larger portion of us, we need to work on the extremely difficult task of stepping back, becoming vulnerable, and allowing God to use our imperfections for His good.

The first step in this is realizing that our expectations need to come from God; not from our own prognosis of what we think worship should look, sound, or feel like. Noland states, "We need to give our expectations over to Him and exchange them for what He expects, not what we expect. We might be expecting artistic perfection, that might be the furthest thing from God's mind. Try to keep the big picture in mind. God cares about all the details of our artistic endeavors, but He's also in the business of saving souls. What's more important? That our efforts come off perfectly or that God's name be praised and that lost people come to know Him through our ministry? Try to keep things in His perspective" (Noland, 135).

Yet, this doesn't mean that we now get to play Parcheesi during rehearsals instead of working diligently through our worship music. Conversely, this means that we need to ever work harder on opening our ears to hear what the Lord is wanting of us and our spiritual gifts. "He expects us to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with Him (Mic. 6:8). God expects us to grow spiritually. The end result is His responsibility. Our job is to cooperate with the process. We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect (the end product), when God is more concerned with the process (that we walk humbly with Him)" (Noland, 135).

There are countless examples of ways that we have become more concerned with the end result than with allowing God's process to work in our lives. Unfortunately, many of these examples come with some embarrassment of knowing that we caused the uncomfortable conundrum by not following God's direction. Sadly, many of these lessons were learned in hindsight. This prompts our reflection questions:

How do we know that we are following God's big picture of saving souls instead of our own unrealistic expectations?

What can we do on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to ensure that we are in a place to be able to hear what God is saying?

Friday, September 7, 2012

He Likes Me! He Really Likes Me!

If you participated in wearing neon hammer pants, drinking TAB cola, watching the Goonies, could sing all the words to "You Give Love a Bad Name,"scrunched socks and styled scrunchies, played with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, aspired to be Doogie Howser, and rocked mullets, then it was safe to say that you conquered the coolness factor of the 80's. SIKE!

It is very easy to look back at the different generations, styles, and ideals and think "What in God's name was I thinking?!" (Quite literally). As hard as we may have tried to fit into a certain persona of the time that we were growing up, none of it would matter in a few years. Fads, clothes, food, and pretty much everything that creates the coolness factor all change over time. For the perfectionist in everyone of us, this sucks! This means that at the point where we finally felt that we could rock a certain era (including the times when we have purposefully chose to not participate in the fads out of principle, hence jumping on another fad of resistance); all the rules changed and we had to start over. Bummer! Noland states, "If you base your self-esteem on what you do instead of who you are, your-self image will go up and down depending on your latest reviews" (131, Noland).

Instead of building our self-worth on things that change over time, we need to build it on the very fact that we are a child of God. Noland states that "the key to a healthy self-image is not about doing. It is about being; being a beloved child of God" (131, Noland). This means that we need to understand that God absolutely loves us for who we are; every part of who we are... yep that part too. As Christians, I believe that many of us already know that God loves us. It is quite literally mentioned in the Bible hundreds of times. Yet, sometimes the real question we are asking when we ask "does God love us" is "does God like us?"

All of us have children and we all wholeheartedly agree that we love our children tremendously, but that we don't always like what are children are doing at different points. Does this mean that God loves us, but that he doesn't like us sometimes? If this is the case, according to the list of sins that I fall into every day, does this mean he doesn't like me most of the time? Noland argues that this is not the case!

One verse that Noland relies on to prove that God likes us very much is Psalm 18:19 because it states that 'God delights in me.' This message is also shared in Psalm 37:23 and Psalm 41:11. Noland states, "Did you know that God delights in you? He created you and He enjoys being with you. He enjoys seeing you grow. He enjoys watching  you be what He created you to be. He enjoys watching you use your talent - every time you perform or create. He delights in you" (132, Noland).

Another verse that touches Noland about God liking us is Romans 8:38: "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse has become so meaningful to Noland because "it reminds [us] that noting - absolutely nothing - can separate [us] from the love of God. Even if [we] are having trouble feeling His love [or that he may even like us], it's still there. Nothing can take it away" (132, Noland)

So, next time we are feeling rather fad focused or, conversely, like the scum of the earth, we need to realize that God doesn't judge us the way that we judge each other. He loves us and likes us unconditionally. Take a look at Ephesians 4:32. It tells us to be "kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." What if we applied that same verse to how we treat ourselves? We need to begin to be kind to the artist in us AND we need to realize that God really does like us, no matter what. In the words of Journey "Don't Stop Believin'"!

For the reflection part of this post, write something that you want to start "savoring" as a part of who you are that God has blessed. This is a trait that God has given you so that you may serve Him better, this is not an action or a responsibility that you are in charge of.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Potluck Perfectionism

 
 
"The amish, whenever they produce any of their crafts, purposefuly put a flaw somewhere in their work. It could be one piece of thread that's out of line or a part of a quilt that's slightly off center, but it's there to remind them that only God is perfect." (129, Noland)
 
Ah yes, flawed on purpose. Now there is an idea that will be hard for each of us and our perfectionist tendencies to grasp. Yet, there is something great in knowing that even though our free will causes us to fail time and time again God continually uses us and our errors to bring about His will.
 
Since we perfectionists tend to focus detrimentally on the negative, we need to learn to savor the positive. Truly, we need to become practiced at "celebrat[ing] anything and everything positive that comes our way" (128, Noland). In our culture, we often are led to believe that we should not rejoice in our successes, but this is not what God wants in our lives.
 
Noland shares the story of David to remind us of this: "In 2 Samuel 6 David had defeated the Philistines and returned the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. The whole nation celebrated, and David was so overjoyed that he danced "with all his might" (v.14). And why not? He was savoring a great work of God that he'd had the privilege to be a part of. David danced before the Lord with humility and joy. He wasn't taking the glory for himself. He was worshiping God. David's wife, Michal, on the other hand, wasn't into savoring, and she sharply criticized her husband for his outlandish celebration. But God was not pleased with her negative attitude, and He cursed her with barrenness (v.23). So you see, God doesn't like it when we pass up an opportunity to savor Him. He delights in worship-filled celebration" (128, Noland).
 
There are several key components to savoring the positive. First, we have to recognize that if God uses us to do His will and something fantastic comes out of it, it is "okay to celebrate what God's doing through us" (Noland 128). This is not us patting ourselves on our backs, instead it is us rejoicing that we were able to do God's will. We are letting God's joy at accomplishing what He's equipped us to do into our lives.
 
Do you think that our team does a good job of celebrating when God uses the team in a special way? What are some instances that you think we should rejoice over because God's Will was actualized in the past couple days, weeks, and/or months?

Friday, August 24, 2012

Just Coating It A Little



Tommy: Forget it, I quit, I can't do this anymore, man. My head's about to explode. My whole life sucks! I don't know what I'm doing, I don't know where I'm going. My dad just died, we just killed Bambi, I'm out here getting my butt kicked and every time I drive down the road I wanna jerk the wheel into bridge abutment!

Have you ever made a mistake in a performance before and played it over and over again in your mind? Have you done this recently? Even though scripture continually reminds us that we are not perfect and can never be perfect, we somehow find ourselves trying to squish into a little jacket that will never fit. As artists, we need to be even more aware of our perfectionist tendencies because they can cause us to become unable to use our gifts they way they were intended.

Noland gives us 4 negative indicators of perfectionism:

1. Maximizing the Negative, Minimizing the Positive

"Have you ever heard of the dot syndrome? Look at the newspaper photograph and notice that it's made up of many dots of ink. Now focus on only one of those little dots. See how you miss the "big picture"? The dot syndrome is just like that. You make a little mistake and keep replaying it in your mind, crucifying yourself over and over for it. It's a loss of perspective. Instead of looking at the big picture, you're obsessed with one tiny dot. For the perfectionist, one thing gone wrong means every thing's going wrong." (124, Noland)

2. Black-and-White Thinking

"Something is either all good or all bad. My performance was either all good or all bad. I'm either a good artist or I don't even deserve to call myself one. There's no in between. Perfectionists tend to be very critical, and they can come down very hard on themselves when they fail. As a result, perfectionists engage in a lot of negative self-talk." (125, Noland)

3. Self-Esteem Based on Performance Instead of Identity

"Many artists are extremely insecure because they're overly perfectionistic. Because they criticize themselves over the smallest of mistakes, perfectionists struggle with self-esteem. When it reaches the point where your talent makes you feel no good or worthless as a person, your self-esteem is too wrapped up in what you do instead of who you are. Perfectionism can also be a way for artists to get people to like them. If people think I'm perfect or better than I really am, they'll like me and I will be important - so goes the perfectionist thinking. (126, Noland)

4. High and Unrealistic Expectations

"The more work I have invested in something, the higher go my expectations for it to come off not well but perfectly. So I walk into rehearsal expecting perfection, and I'm disappointed. I come to the service expecting perfections, and I'm disappointed. This is different from setting goals. Setting goals can be motivational and can bring significant growth. Even if we don't achieve all our goals, we're almost always better off for having tried. Now contrast that with constantly browbeating ourselves and others because we're not living up to perfection... If you and I set up unrealistic expectations, we're setting ourselves up for frustration and disappointment every time. That's why the perfectionist lives with a lot of "if onlys." If only I had said this or done that. If only I had gone to that college. If only I had studied with that teacher. If only I had made that audition. If only I had married that person instead of the person I married. We somehow feel that all our expectations would have been met "if only." ... People with unrealistic expectations often end up sabotaging themselves." (126-127, Noland)


Let's face it, we do need to have hard work and set lofty goals, but trying to be perfect in our performances and our life is more "man-centered than God-centered." Noland suggests that we need to change the spelling on "perfection" to "perfiction" because perfection is honestly just fantasy. God is the only one who is perfect. "For those of us who expect life to be easy all the time, perfectionism is also a way of being in control; if I can control my environment, I can protect myself from pain and disappointment." (127, Noland).

Since perfectionism exists in all of us, comment about a perfectionist tendency that you have and how it has influenced your life.

As you ponder this week's reflective post, it best to end with a quote from Tommy Boy because it is through our imperfections that we can grow as a community and share in genuine laughter:

Tommy: God, you're gonna remember this the rest of your life. Can't believe you've never been cow tipping before. Get ready to live. Huh, huh, huh, ssshhhh. She's sleepin'. What you do is, you put your shoulder into her and you push.
Paul: And?
Tommy: They fall over, hee, hee, hee.
Paul: And this doesn't strike you as kinda' dumb?
Tommy: We're family, we're gonna be doing lots of dumb stuff together. Wait 'til Christmas.


Friday, August 17, 2012

Put on a Happy Face


At the end of the day, the success of our teamwork depends on our ability to submit to authority without losing our autonomy or artistic identity. This means that we must follow our leader(s) and listen to our Father about how, when, and what spiritual gifts to use. CS Lewis states this concept fantastically while discussing the arts. He states, "Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence about how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it."

This means that we can still stand out as artists and fulfill our purpose while submitting to authority. Noland states:

"Submitting to authority can be difficult for some of us. We artists don't like anyone telling us what to do. But assuming your leader never asks you to do something contrary to God's will, you have a responsibility to submit to his or her leadership. Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you." (110, Noland)
"Submitting to church authority is a sign of character. You may think your leader is wrong or incapable or even unfit to lead, but don't add to the problem by being immature yourself. I've seen people get so agitated over the littlest things, and I've seen people leave the church over relatively petty issues. Stubbornness is not a virtue and pettiness is not becoming. Don't be a thorn in the side of the leader. If you disagree with your leader or don't like something he or she is doing, go talk to that person. If you still disagree, pray that God will change your leader's mind or yours. But if nothing ever changes, you still need to submit and cooperate with the person's leadership." (111, Noland)

Yet, even through this submission, we should never lose our autonomy or artistic identity. Noland states:

"It's important for the artist not to get swallowed up completely by the team. When we lose autonomy, we stop taking responsibility for ourselves. I've seen too many artists try to get lost in the crowd and not take personal responsibility for the development of their gifts and the nurturing of their souls. I've also seen too many artists hide behind the spiritual reputation of the leader and not take responsibility for their walk with the Lord or for the sin in their lives. I'm talking about the choir member, for example, who doesn't take the development of his or her gift or spiritual life seriously, thinking that those things go unnoticed when you're part of a large group. Doesn't this person know that any team is only as strong as its weakest link? There is a side to being an artist that is solitary. We need to practice on our own, or we need to write in solitude, or we need to find the inspiration to create on our own. We have devotions and fight temptation on our own. Even though I'm trying to raise the value of teamwork in arts ministry, the arts are not exclusively a team effort. It's our responsibility to do the along part on our own." (111, Noland)

"When we lose individual autonomy, we also start living for the team's approval instead of the Lord's. A group mentality sets in that can be very dangerous for a team of artists. When that happens, we go along with the group without questioning. We don't take creative risks anymore for fear of losing our status with the group. We don't speak up if we hold an opinion different from that of the group. We become man pleasers instead of God pleasers. What was Aaron thinking when he misused his artistic abilities and made the gold calf? (Ex. 32:21-24). He created an idol for people to worship. He lost his sense of personal responsibility and listened to the group instead of listening to God. He gave in to peer pressure and betrayed his faith. It is dangerous for any artist to live for the approval of others and stop listening to God." (112, Noland)

For this post, respond to the following statement:

It has been said that fellowship, or community, is the art of knowing and being known. What is the difference between knowing and being known? Are you better at one than the other, or are you pretty good at both?

Friday, August 10, 2012

Heat, Light, and Magic


Have you ever taken the time to really look at our worship team? We are a bunch of neurotic, quirky, passionate, intelligent, and deeply devoted people! Each of us brings something completely unique to our team that we would be absolutely lacking if a person were missing. No matter how small or large our contributions, they all play a role in the bigger picture of bringing people closer to Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:22-25 says, "Those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor... But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."

In order to develop all that we have to offer into something that God can edify in our team, we need to bring all of our spiritual gifts to our team. Noland states:

"I've seen too many artists neglect their other spiritual gifts. They perform and that's it. What about an artist who also has the gift of mercy or encouragement or helps or shepherding or evangelism? The team is incomplete without these gifts... There is such a wide variety of spiritual gifts, and we we need to look for opportunities to use those gifts whenever the team assembles. For example, rehearsal is more than just practice. It's yet another opportunity to use our spiritual gifts and raise up our fellow artists. Even if you think you don't need rehearsal, you always need the fellowship and the fellowship needs you. If you have the gift of encouragement, you can come to rehearsal looking for someone to encourage. If you have the gift of helps, you can be on the lookout for someone to serve in this way, someone who just might be sitting next to you at rehearsal. Instead of asking, "What do I get out of this?" we should be asking, "What can I give?" (108-109, Noland)

Hebrews 10:24 tells us to "consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds." This means that we need to see our role on the worship team as using our gifts to lift others up by asking ourselves "How can I use my spiritual gift today to stimulate my fellow artists spiritually?" or "Is there anything I could do or say that could benefit someone else on the team?"

The result of this is that our role on our worship team is valuable not matter how small. Noland states:

"Every team has members who know their roles on the team and perform them well. They're content to play their roles, because they know that if they don't, the group will not function as a team. The best team leaders are the ones who help their members identify their roles and set them up to be succeed in those roles. Some roles are more behind-the-scene than others. Some are more prominent than others. But the mature team player knows that a team can't function without all members pulling their own weight, without all members performing the roles they play to the best of their ability." (109, Noland)

In addition, being a part of the worship team means that we are all actually a part of our Church's mission and success. Thus, we may be required to step out of our comfort zone and help out in the church in other ways. We may find ourselves helping Grounds and Maintenance fix a wall or serving food with the Deacons on Wednesday evenings. Noland states, "We need to do our fair share whether it's in our job description or not."

Next, we need to give of our spiritual gifts without caring about who gets the credit or the glory. Noland states:

"If you really believe in the cause of [our] team, does it really matter who gets the credit or the glory? Is it more important that you get the credit or that the work gets done? It's typical for us to want to receive all the credit and glory for something we have done, but if you look below the surface, there's almost always an unhealthy, self-serving motivation behind this desire. In many cases there's a craving for attention that drives us to seek the spotlight. And nowhere was this more prevalent than in the world of the arts." (107, Noland)

"Sometimes we get all bent out of shape when someone else gets all the credit we deserve or glory we covet. A wise man once said, "It is amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets the credit." (108, Noland)

No matter how much we try to not care about attribution, eventually we may come to a point where we feel the need to say something. Noland states:

"If credit is constantly attributed wrongly, it can be very demoralizing. It's true that God sees in secret, but it's the wise and sensitive leader who makes sure credit is given to the appropriate people. Sometimes people are not looking for a large display of public recognition. They just want to be thanked and appreciated for their contribution, so let's be sensitive to this on our teams." (108, Noland)

Conversely, if you are unhappy with your perceived role or you're unclear about what your role really is on the team, "I would suggest that you talk to your team leader about this right away. If you don't, you will end up frustrated, bitter, and resentful. Don't let this happen to you. If you're confused or disappointed about your role on the team, please talk to your team leader." (110, Noland)


If this conversation feels like we have come full circle, it's because we have. As a team, we need to make the members of our team feel valued and have a specific role on our team. Think about members of our team whom we have seem to lost some contact with, members of our team whom do not seem to have their own role and purpose, and members of our team who may be feeling overworked. What can we do to incorporate them into our team? What can we do to give more roles and areas for ownership? What can we do to take away some of the stress of other members?

In the comment section, write about a specific thing that our team can do to help utilize everyone's gifts on the team by using the previous rhetorical questions as prompts.

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Our Body is a Wonderland


As artists (and people immersed in the American culture), we find ourselves often putting our fundamental needs last. This is something that we have to focus on changing; otherwise, we will leave our God little room to do His work in us. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 states, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." I think that we can all recognize the difficulty in glorifying God with our body. So, Noland assists us by giving us three areas to pay special attention to:

1. Be Healthy Physically

In some Christian circles it's fashionable to overwork and be burned out; it's a kind of badge of honor. But what's really going on here most of the time is that we're trying to impress each other with how hard we're working or how important we think we are. Ecclesiastes 4:6 (NSAB) says, "One hand full of rest is better than two fist full of labor and striving after wind." Rest is important. It's okay to get the rest your body needs. Most people fail to get the rest they need not because they get up too early but because they go to bed too late. We need to work hard for the Lord and not burn out. Most of us are at our best when we're well rested. Over the years I've learned not to schedule myself late into the evening the night before a big service at church, because I know that my team needs me to be sharp and alert. It's just one of the ways I can bring a healthy, rested self to the team. Regular exercise and sensible eating also contribute to our physical well-being. We tend to underestimate the amount of energy it takes to live a proactive, zealous Christian life or to be an attentive spouse or an involved parent. Then we wonder why we're tired all the time. Exercise and a healthy diet create the energy we all need to live life to its fullest. Ar you eating sensibly, exercising regularly, and getting enough rest? (105, Noland)

2. Be Healthy Spiritually

During the first century, there was an awful famine that was sweeping across the continents. In writing to the Corinthians, Paul talked glowingly about the churches in Macedonia and their team effort to help their fellow believers in need. The were poor yet they contributed abundantly to the church's worldwide relief effort. Paul says in 2 Corninthians 8:5 that they were able to give so much because "they gave themselves first to the Lord." They were in such a good place spiritually that giving came easy for them despite their poverty. When you're walking with the Lord, ministry oozes out automatically. You can't serve out of an empty cup, so make sure you're healthy spiritually. Don't you be the one holding the Spirit's anointing back by being spiritually lazy. Make sure you're having regular devotions, that you're praying, that you're confessing and renouncing sin, that you're in fellowship and sitting under biblical teaching. (106, Noland)

3. Be Healthy Emotionally

We can't control the circumstances that affect our emotions but we can do wonders for our emotional well-being by having meaningful relationships and dealing with pain and conflict in a healthy way. Do you have meaningful relationships? Are you paying attention to your emotions and dealing with them, or are you suppressing them? Are you dealing with pain and conflict in hour life, or are you coping by denying or escaping? (106, Noland)

It wouldn't be overgeneralizing to make the statement that most of us do not do a very good job of taking care of our needs. Sure, some of us may be able to hit a home run in one of the three areas, but another area probably looks more like the lava lamp in Soap Lake. Also, do not make the rash assumption that our lives outside of our ministry do not have an impact on our ministry and God's ability to do his work. We have to recognize that our work life, family life, and spiritual life is all interconnected. So, creating a healthy balance means being spiritually, emotionally, and physically healthy in all avenues of our life.

For this post, share a story of when you had some unhealthy issues in your life and what you did to overcome them. In this way, we can all learn a bit from each other's past and hopefully make it through or avoid similar unhealthy choices. As Rafiki in the Lion King teaches Simba: "Ah, yes the past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it."

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Congregational Feedback

Several of the members of our congregation gave us some written feedback!

July 21, 2012

"The music and singers are awesome and I think it would be nice to recognize them in the church handout - at least once a month - Techs, musicians, singers - this creates ANOTHER reason to be here!"

July 28, 2012

"What a great praise session today. Really uplifting - waht a way to start the week. Praise God."

"Thanks for great music."

Friday, July 27, 2012

Together We Stand, Divided We Fall


Just because we are all Christians, members of the worship team, and have spiritual gifts, does not mean that everything will be rainbows and unicorns. Unfortunately, our spiritual gifts come with a huge dose of hubris. Hubris is the extreme amount of pride associated with the way we feel we need to do things in order to have our spiritual gifts utilized in their self-perceived "perfect" way. Hubris is an extremely dangerous a double-edged word because it is directly associated with having a very negative outcome. The best metaphor of this is Achilles and his tendon. As artists, we continually have to be evaluating our actions and making sure that hubris is NOT overtaking God's will for our gifts.

In the Heart of the Artist, Roland lists 3 tasks that we need to focus on to make sure that we are using our gifts in the way God intended them:

1. A team player is committed to the the cause of the team

In ministry being committed to the cause of the team means that we put the church's mission above our own agenda. From time to time [we all] hear stories about arts ministries in which the team members aren't all on the same page. The result is musicians, drama people, dancers, etc. all doing their own thing instead of coming together for the common good. For example, a musician who uncompromisingly pushes a favorite style of music, even though it doesn't fit the occasion, is putting his or her own agenda ahead of the team's. (97, Heart of the Artist)

2. A team player encourages and supports his or her teammates

When it comes to the arts in the church, we need to cultivate an environment that is encouraging, life-giving, and supportive. That's part of what it means to nurture artists, especially the artists with whom we serve. Most of us have no difficulty encouraging someone whose gifts pose no threat to our place in the ministry. Our character is truly proven when we can root for those who have the same gifts we have. Can you sincerely encourage and pull for someone who has the same gifts you do? Another test of character some when someone else gets the opportunities we wish we could have. Maybe it's the solo we wanted, the part we wanted to play, or the recording opportunity we wanted. First Corinthians 12:26 (NASB) says that if "one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." Can you rejoice for someone who gets the opportunities you wanted? (102-103, Heart of the Artist)

3. A team player holds onto to his or her gifts loosely

Every once and a while [we] run into people [or find ourselves saying], "I'm not going to give of my time and talent unless my gift is used exactly how I think it should be used." NBA coach Pat Riley says, "Doing your most for the team will always bring something good for you. It means believing that everything you deserve will eventually come your way. You won't have to grab for it. You won't have to force it. It will simply catch up to you, drawn along in the jetstream, the forward motion of your hard work." Especially if God is in the picture, I think we can say with confidence that good things will come our way if we work hard and don't try to force it. If our talents and abilities are from God, who really owns them? He does. They're on loan to us and we are to faithfully steward them. So we can relax our white-knuckle grip on our gifts and lay them at the feet of Jesus, to be used to edify His church as He sees fit. (104, Heart of the Artist)

Roland's words are powerful, they speak right to "our hearts as artists." Of course we want to participate. Of course we want to share our gifts in the way we think that they should be shared. Of course we want to be an integral part of something that leads people to Christ. Of course we want to be recognized for our gifts. Of course, though, we need to understand that the use of our gifts is up to Him who gave them to us.

Our worship team is blessed with some of the most astounding hidden gifts. It seems like every day a member is stepping up and portraying God's will in remarkable and influential ways. Since we are so gifted in our team, we need to make sure that everyone is allowed the chance to use their gifts in the way that "God intended." This means that a few of us will need to start asking others if they would like to participate before taking on a task by ourselves. It also means that others of us will need to start sharing more about our hidden gifts and look for ways to serve our congregation, our team, and our Father.

The reflection assignment for this post is somewhat simple:

Identify and post about something that you will now start doing to make sure that other's gifts are celebrated and used better within our team. An example of this may be: "I will recognize that the congregation worships in a multitude of ways and instrumental interludes with electric guitar or drums or harmonica provide an equally beneficial moment for the Lord to do his work as vocal lyrics do."


Sunday, July 22, 2012

The Time Has Come


If each team member owns the responsibility for team unity, that team will be "like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose" (Phil 2:2) (99, Heart of the Artist)

Unity is important to God, and it's not something to be taken lightly. We are to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). That doesn't happen without people working out their differences. It doesn't happen without people putting their egos aside and constantly deferring to one another. When Solomon dedicated the temple, the priests and musicians came forth "regardless of their divisions" (2 Chron. 5:22). They all checked their egos at the door and stood before God not according to status or rank but unified as God's people. They had quite a powerful worship time at this ceremony, and the arts played a major role (vv.12-13). This passage also shows us that unity is a powerful testimony to the presence of God. In fact, the presence of God was so strong at this dedication that people were literally falling down. And it all started with the people being unified. Don't ever think unity is optional. It's required if we're going to do anything together in God's name. (99, Heart of the Artist)

Unity is also a powerful witness to the unchurched. "How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!" (Ps 133:1). If there was a colony of Christ-honoring artists who got along with each other and truly loved each other, the world would sit up and take notice, because that kind of thing doesn't happen out there in the world. I tell our church orchestra that we are the most visible witness of team unity that the church has. We are such a diverse collection of ages, ethnic groups, abilities, and backgrounds, and we have to play together and get along with each other. If we can get along, anybody can. Our unity is often a more powerful testimony than our music. (99, Heart of the Artist)

Building unity, for us, comes primarily out of two moments: rehearsals and Sundays. Since we have rotating schedules and are limited in the time that we spend together, we need to be intentional about developing our community when we are together. This means that rehearsal cannot be simply a time of notes, instruments, and structure. We need to allow time to get to know each other, pray for each other, and celebrate together.

The trick to building unity through "socializing" is by developing an understanding of what we want socializing to look like for our worship team. This will allow us to be "like minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose" (Phil 2:2).

This is going to be more difficult than it sounds on the surface level. Some of you would love nothing more than to complete our worship practice efficiently with little or no time spent socializing during practice (the time for that is either before or after practice). Then, we have another group of people who believe that socializing throughout the duration of practice makes our worship team a fun place to be.

In order to be like minded, you need to truly think about what level of socializing you would like at practice and comment honestly and thoughtfully. This will allow us to decide what method will work best for our team.

Your assignment:
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being no socializing during practice and 10 being completely full of relational chatting with secondary focus on music, rate how much socializing you would like to see in our practice.
2. Give an example of socializing that you think we should have in our rehearsals, on Sundays, and etc.
3. Give an example of socializing that you think we should not have in our rehearsals, on Sundays, and etc.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Time Flies When...

It seems that nearly everyone in our worship team believes that time management is something that should be a part of our code of ethics and that we are not doing as well as we should at achieving it. Interestingly enough, time management is also a hot topic for Rory Noland. Immediately after his discussion on the "Deadly Four," he discusses time management. He states:
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A team's code of ethics reflects the core values of that team. If rehearsal is an important value, it'll be important for everyone to be on time. Punctuality then becomes a value statement that says in effect, "Rehearsal is a high value to me, so it's important that I show up on time." If respect for others is a high value for team members, punctuality would also be considered a courtesy. It's basically saying, "I don't want to be late, because I don't want to waste everybody else's time by having them wait for me." A team's code of ethics puts forth the level of commitment needed by all team members. It sets the standard for how the team operates. In this way it becomes a change agent of sorts. If you don't model the team's code of ethics, you will change your behavior if you want to stay part of that team. (96, Heart of Worship)
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To Noland, time management is a crucial component for the general ebb and flow of a worship team. He even went as far as to include a list of the 13 most essential "Marks of Professionalism" as a means for establishing good time management for being a part of a worship team:
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1. Be on time for rehearsals
2. Be ready to perform in all aspects (warmed up, instrument mechanically set, all equipment available)
3. Take care of your instrument
4. Bring a pencil to rehearsal
5. Listen to your conductor
6. Mark your music - do not trust memory
7. Constantly listen and adjust pitch and volume while playing
8. Be ready for entrances
9. Sincerely attempt to play the part correctly
10. Play second or third part with as much enthusiasm as the first part
11. Practice music between rehearsals and continually strive to improve
12. Interpret as the conductor wishes
13. Do not miss rehearsals
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It seems particularly interesting to note that not everything on this list is about time management during rehearsals. He alludes to the fact that time management for the whole group begins with a commitment on a personal level.
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Yet, the time management conundrum is a tricky one because everyone looks at what is a good and bad use of time differently. What may seem as a waste of time to one person may actually seem like a good use of time to another. An example of this that stands out for our worship team is whether or not socializing during the first few minutes of practice takes away from practice time or develops fellowship and camaraderie. Thus, we need to begin the tricky process of figuring out what we collectively think is a good use of rehearsal time and what should be completed outside of worship time.
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Your task for this post is to begin the process of trying to figure out what good time management would look like for our team. When preparing to share your view, think about the following questions that were posed by many of you during the last post and follow up discussion:
1. Do we feel that we should be able to have time to get to know each other and develop interpersonal relationships during practice?
2. Do we feel that we should be absolutely ready to play through our first song right at 6:30 or should we allow time for set up, warm ups, and mic checks?
3. Do we feel that we should set an ending time for practice to help keep us focused? (i.e. practice always ends at 8:30)
4. Do we feel like we should clear our schedules and devote our Thursday evenings strictly to rehearsal with the knowledge that it could be a long or short night depending on the musical and relational needs of the team?
5. Do we need a worship team navigator that runs practice for that Thursday (will rotate every Thursday depending on the talents, skills, and needs of the set)?
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As you mull over the five most strongly questioned viewpoints and try to decipher what good time management should include or omit, feel free to add additional ideas and/or mash the viewpoints together to create something new. On Thursday, we will take a look at everyone's input and begin crafting a better time management strategy.

Friday, July 6, 2012

No Good, Very Bad Habits


In spite of how powerful and meaningful team ministry can be, the task of getting a group of people to interact and perform as a team is a difficult one. Besides the fact that we artists have a propensity to shy away from teams and community, the Evil One does everything he can to disrupt teams. He'll try to sow disunity; he'll try to undermine morale; he'll try to sabotage the cause; he'll try to frustrate plans. Believe me, he'll do everything he can to defeat any and every team that's trying to advance the kingdom of God. So let's begin our study of teams by looking at four things that can kill a team. (93, Heart of the Artist)

1. Selfishness (93, Heart of the Artist)
2. Grumbling and Complaining (93, Heart of the Artist)
3. A competitive Spirit (94, Heart of the Artist)
4. Unresolved Relational Conflict (94, Heart of the Artist)

If we're honest, the four team killing components sting when we read them. The reason? Each of us has contributed to each of the "Deadly Four" and can probably recall a moment when we acted in that way. Since we are all sinful beings in nature, the solution to combating the Deadly Four is to establish, re-establish, or remember our code of ethics. This code of ethics can be written or unwritten, spoken or unspoken (95, Heart of the Artist) as long as it sets up a culture of expectations for how we want our worship team to be.

This leads you into a very tricky assignment. You will need to think and pray about what we can do and are already doing to achieve our best worship team without allowing yourself to be selfish, grumble and complain, have a competitive spirit, and/or bring about unresolved relational conflict. It is important to note that creating a code of ethics is a conversation about creating the best situations and worship culture for the needs of our church, community, and each other. Creating a code of ethics is not about singling out what a person is or is not doing. It is always best to keep Matthew 7:2-5 in mind:


2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

Taking heed from Matthew 7:2-5, your reflective assignment is to post about 1) something that you think our team is doing well in meeting our "unspoken" code of ethics and 2) something that you feel we should change/add to our code of ethics.

If you feel uncertain about the message of this post, I truly recommend that you read pages 93-96 in The Heart of the Artist. Rory Noland goes through each of the 4 traits that can kill a team in detail.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Artist in a Community



"Many of us artists are longing for a place to belong, a place where the arts are flourishing, where God is using the arts in a powerful way. A place where artists can experience meaningful fellowship with other Christian artists, where we can learn from each other and cheer each other on. I believe that's part of what God wants our churches to be: a place that harnesses the arts for His glory and nurtures artists." (89, Heart of the Artist)

This belonging comes from a mutual respect of what each person brings to the team as well as an understanding of what you bring to the team. Leading worship is a team sport and we can only lead and serve our congregation as so much as we all respect and understand each of our roles on our team.

Romans 12:3-8 explicitly states that we were all created for a purpose:

3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

All of that is to say that being a part of our worship team means that you belong for two reasons:

1. Your gifts and abilities have created a niche for you on the team. (92, Heart of the Artist)
2. Your personality has created a place for you on the team. (92, Heart of the Artist)

As you take the time to digest the power and responsibility that comes with being on our worship team, reflect on what you specifically bring to our team and what ONE other member of our team brings to the table by replying to this post. The catch is that you must pick ONE member of our team who has NOT been mentioned by someone else. In this way, each person will reflect upon themselves and have someone else reflect up them.