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Posts for ‘General’

» Stuck in a Rut?

Good post, Eric. Sometimes I think some of our churches are like pre-Vatican II Catholic ones. Everybody is talking in a completely different language. Nobody but the dudes up front know what is going on.

On the other hand, a lot of evangelicalism today is so completely disconnected from history. This is one thing that I think we can learn from the emerging church. Young people today don't just want relevance; they want historical connectedness. They want a big story to which they can tie themselves.

So, let's not overreact, Reformed community, and act like any pursuit of relevance amounts to selling out.

» Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…Stuck in the Rut…

Does this quote apply to our congregational gatherings?
Sometimes we Christians are not very wise, as Jesus seems to have realised (see Lk. 16:8). On occasion we get stuck in the rut of a tradition that it is not in itself biblical. We fail to recognise that the words we use or the precise activities in which we engage are no longer appropriate. Instead of showing the contemporary relevance of the gospel, we veil that relevance and strip it of its power.
By our actions, we are really conveying an unspoken message that the gospel belongs to a past generation, or is permanently enshrined in some ancient tradition. But Christ and the gospel are always contemporary. We need to see to it that we live, speak, act, and witness in ways that are appropriate to him and to our time.
Sinclair Ferguson, The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World, page 156 (emphasis and odd Scottish spellings are the author's).

» Family Worship Book Details

Eric,

We're not yet in the position where we could make them available outside of the church, but at some point I hope to put together a website that will have the contents available. Anyone interested can contact me and I can send them a PDF that they can print out double sided to make their own booklet.

Here is where the contents from from:
Family Readings: The Revised Common Lectionary
Catechism Questions: A Catechism for Boys and Girls by Carey Publications (though I'm doing some editing on this, so you can use another catechism like the Baptist Catechism)
Memory Verse: I'm choosing it to go along with the catechism questions
Daily Readings: From Back to the Bible
Hymn: I choose one to go along with the catechism questions and memory verse if possible. I suggest that people learn the tunes from CyberHymnal.org. Here are the 52 hymns that I identified as those I felt families would do well to learn together (we'll probably cycle the same ones again next year unless I make some changes). Keep in mind that the list was prepared with a view towards children being able to participate... (continue reading...)

» Screwtape on Worship

Bob Kauflin has posted today a great letter from "Tapescrew" to "Woodworm." This is a play off of C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters. This short letter gives much truth about the problems in modern worship.

» Family Worship Book

Great thoughts, David, on family worship! I appreciate the emphasis on "moment-by-moment" worship. I do think we do a sort of spiritual damage when we stress God to our children at certain times and ignore Him the rest of the time. This only teaches our children that God is someone to give part of your life to, rather than your all and everything.

How can a reader get a copy of your "family worship book"?

» More Thoughts on Family Worship

Thanks for pointing out Jim Hamilton’s comments on family worship, Eric. I especially liked the way he explained doing various God-focused tasks with the kids at various times throughout the day.

When I reflect on my own experiences with family worship, I am reminded how often I fall into the thinking that once I’ve done certain “spiritual” tasks with the family (and my wife), I have effectively led them in family worship (or put another way, I have checked off my spiritual headship box for the day). We do the same thing with our private worship (a.k.a quiet times or devotions) and corporate worship when we assume that a great time with the Lord in the morning is like a can of spinach to Popeye – it gives us the spiritual power we need to make it to the next meeting. In one sense this is true, that these times of worship are refreshing and reinvigorating, but in another it is not. God tells us that worship is bigger than just special times where we focus our attention on the Lord. Romans 12 begins:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your... (continue reading...)

» Sunday Morning Peep Shows

It is that time of year again when seasonal candy reminds what our songs, prayers, sermons and services must not be!
Brothers, don't let your worship service be a Sunday morning peep show!

» Serving Assorted Preferences and Future Generations in Our Songwriting: Kevin’s Quick Response

An observation and follow-up question:

In our efforts to give authentic voices to the praises of modern people, we have, I think rightly, attempted to write modern worship songs. However, it often seems to me that much of the "modern" music really isn't that modern. This is possibly because it's written by more mature saints (a good thing), but the tunes often sound like they're microwaved from the previous decade.

Is it worth the effort to write "modern" worship songs?How can we give voice to modern man without becoming obsessed with being "hip?"How do we balance being culturally relevant with being historically connected? Or are either important at all?

» Serving Assorted Preferences and Future Generations in Our Songwriting

On Worship Matters, Bob Kauflin posts Reviewing Awesome God Children's CD Reviews. Near the end, he quotes one reviewer's critique of their musical style:
While it is true that there are many different 'tastes' in music, I cannot but think that there are some elements of the way an instrument is played that accentuate the fleshly nature of our fallen self. What do I mean? Well it is fairly obvious that romantic music is designed to create a certain 'mood' in the listener. Other music such as heavy metal causes the listener to feel intensely powerful and invincible. Bob posts his reply:
Our understanding of how music works in worshipping God is probably more similar than you'd think. We, too, never want the music to overpower the lyrics, but rather serve them. Probably the main area we see things differently is what music "causes" us to do. Music moves us emotionally, but there is a powerful associative effect that can be trained and/or changed. Heavy music doesn't automatically cause someone to "feel intensely powerful and invincible," although that kind of music is often used to voice those attitudes. I like Bob's last line, "that kind of music is often... (continue reading...)

» On Covenants and Those Who Sing Them

This is a previous post from my blog. Brothers, any other thoughts about singing covenants? What about other ways to utilize them in worship gatherings?At Grace Church, we see the great value in, not only holding to a confession of faith, but also giving ourselves to a church covenant. Mark Dever, in his great new book (with Paul Alexander), The Deliberate Church, says this about church covenants: As mentioned before, a church covenant answers the question, How do we commit to living together? The form of the covenant is the way we express our commitment. The content of the covenant is the way we understand our commitment. Our church here in Washington, D.C., was founded with such a covenant, and the original still hangs framed in our main meeting hall, complete with the original signatures from 1878. Requiring people to sign a church covenant lets them know that they will be expected not only to believe the statement of faith, but to live it. It also lets them know how they will be expected to live it out-- i.e., in clear ways that build up the corporate body and enhance the corporate testimony of the church in... (continue reading...)