Old Guys Rule (a post about hymns, eventually)

November 12, 1983.  On a cold St. Louis evening, only two months after Cheryl and I started dating, we stood in line in the snow to see the Christian rock band, Petra.  As a new Christian used to listening to Kiss, Van Halen, etc. I was a little skeptical about this Christian rock thing.  But I was far from disappointed.  In fact, I became a lifelong Petra fan.

Over the years, we saw Petra several more times, through several different lineups.  Always with the same reaction.  What a great band.  Great musical talent.  Superb songwriting from the band’s founder/guitarist/heart, Bob Hartman.  Fantastic show.  And a genuine desire to praise God and tell people about Christ.  Years (and years) later we would even take our oldest kids to the “Farewell Tour.”  Petra has always been a family favorite.  The soundtrack to our lives.

That first concert also started a love of Christian music that would result in my spending several years in college and seminary working at Christian radio stations.  Getting to be the guy on stage at some of those shows, introducing bands, was a real highlight. 

Over the years, I watched a lot of bands come and go.  Some were really popular for awhile, but faded away.  Some I really liked, but never hit the “big time.”  Personal taste has a lot to do with it.  Talent surely does as well, but so does “luck” and timing.  But after over 30 years as a band, Petra was still going, still recording, still touring.  Still popular.

Fast forward to last Sunday.  Years after the Farewell, that last lineup of the band was getting together for a one day “Petra Reunion.” Our youngest son, Kenaniah (whose name is a biblical character, David’s song leader, but also happens to be the subject of a Petra song; I’ll let you decide which one he’s named after), was too young to see the Farewell Tour.  But he’s listened to this band his whole life.  So we jumped at the chance to go see this show.  It was only just over 100 miles away.  And once again…not disappointed. Old Guys Rule.  

It wasn’t a massive crowd.  Covid, ya know.  It was mostly an older crowd.  But what an enthusiastic bunch!  And how proud I was to look over and see my 16-year-old with a huge smile, singing along with songs written decades before he was born.  Reminded me a bit of the excitement of another 16-year-old back in ’83.

So what’s the point, other than a sentimental musical memory tour?  Just this.  Singer John Schlitt and guitarist Bob Hartman are both 70-ish.  And both put on an amazing display of their God given talent, and were sure to give God all the glory.  Old Guys Rule.  That’s actually the name of a song by another John Schlitt project, along with Billy Smiley of Whiteheart (another old Christian band).  The Union of Sinners and Saints recorded that song a couple years back, and it not only says something about these old musicians, but about their music.

Again, I’ve seen a lot of bands come and go.  Some have lasted.  A lot haven’t.  Not many will be doing 30+ year farewell tours and reunions.  It says something about the quality of their music, and their message.  I’m not just an old geezer talking about “the music when I was a kid.”  I actually like a lot of newer bands.  I really enjoy some new bands that are so new a lot of folks haven’t even heard of them yet (Collision of Innocence, Bayless, and Relent all come to mind).

Here’s where we get to the hymns stuff.  (Sorry it took so long).  I’m an odd creature, in many ways, but the relevant way here is my musical taste.  I’m one of the few guys I know who is a conservative, antique-hymnal-collecting pastor, who also loves loud rock music.  And I see a bit of a correlation to the longevity of Petra, and the enduring nature of some worship songs/hymns.

This isn’t a knock against modern worship music.  There is some really good stuff out there, from the Gettys to Sovereign Grace Music, and Ross King, City Alight, etc.  Time will tell how long some of those songs will last.  And I’m not saying all the old stuff is great.  In my 200+ antique hymnal collection there are hundreds and hundreds of songs that no one has sung in hundreds of years.  But there are some that stand the Test of Time (another Petra song title, sorry).

Those old hymns with the depths of lyrical content, and even some of the quality of musicianship.  It reaches beyond generational borders, with children and grandchildren singing along joyfully with their parents and grandparents.  Some of it surely comes down to personal taste.  Not every one is a Petra fan (though I can’t understand why not).  Shoot, somewhere in the world there may even be someone who doesn’t like "Amazing Grace".

But again, there are just some songs with a depth of meaning and quality of authorship that go beyond one or two generations.  So give those old songs a chance.  You might be surprised at the results.  Just like my 16-year old son’s joy seeing Petra.  Old guys rule, and young guys love it. 

The Greatest Commandment

As we continue through Matthew's gospel at Faith Southern Baptist, we found ourselves dealing with Jesus' response to the question regarding the greatest commandment.  Most folks are very familiar with this text, as well as the text in Deuteronomy 6 which Jesus quotes in that response.  So, as I said in the message, I know I have nothing really new to offer. 

But I hope that God would remind His church of our need to not only be familiar with this, but to be obedient to it.  To seek to love our God with all that is within us, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Not only is that the foundation of the Law and Prophets, but if we would do this, it would serve to solve so many other issues.

Here is Sunday's Message:

 

 

Is There No Truth In Beauty?

 If anyone clicked on this title expecting me to be writing about an episode of Star Trek, you’ll be disappointed.  While I am indeed a Trek fan (Trekkie? Trekker?), and I do enjoy the particular episode which shares this title, that’s not what this is about.

The phrase is from a poem by George Herbert called Jordan I.  It’s basically a poem about poetry, asking why poems need to focus only on fantasy/fiction, and why we can’t also find beauty in the real/true aspects of life.  Good question?

I recently thought about this line while listening to an address from Steve Taylor.  The often controversial musician and film maker is now a college professor, believe it or not, teaching film studies.  His address was a challenge for artists of all kinds (musicians, painters, writers, etc) to not be afraid to make art that challenges, to address the “real life” struggles we all face with honesty, to pursue truth.  It was in many ways a critique of much Christian artistry which looks at the world with those famous rose colored glasses, and never really gets down to the nitty gritty reality of life.

I appreciate what he was saying.  I even agree with it, for the most part.  However, I had one little quibble with an illustration he used.  He compares Thomas Kinkade with Pablo Picasso.  Strange comparison, but hang in there for a second.

He shows us a Kinkade painting, a church scene with all the artist’s typical light and color and brightness.  He looks at the painting, and after stating that Kinkade claims to paint for the glory of God, he asks, “But does this really glorify God?  I would say no, it doesn’t.  Because it’s a lie.”  He laughs at the purple trees, and the brightness of the light in the church windows which could only be possible if the sanctuary was on fire, and the lack of a path to the church which means the only way you could get there was to parachute in.  Likewise, the light and color are all lies because life isn’t like that, Taylor says.  So it’s not true, therefore not glorifying to God.

Switch to the Picasso.  This is the artist’s well known anti-war painting called ‘Guernica’.  We are told that Picasso certainly never claimed to paint for God’s glory, but does this painting glorify God?  Taylor says yes, it does because it shows truth.  It represents the darkness and suffering of war and sin, the realities of life we all face.  This is true, so it glorifies God. 

I hear what Taylor is saying.  And I agree.  To a point.  Life is full of sin and suffering, and we should not deny that, ignore it, etc.  But Taylor applies the standard of truth differently in the two paintings.  In the first, he says it’s not true because it’s not literal in its depiction.  Whereas in the second, it’s true because of what it represents.  No one would argue that Picasso’s oddball renditions of people and animals are “true” in the sense of accurate depictions of those things.  It’s what they represent that we are called to observer.  Likewise, the Kinkade painting may have some inconsistencies with the way life really works, but we are supposed to be drawn to what it represents.  In spite of the darkness of life, there is light.  There is beauty. 

I would ask Herbert’s question slightly differently.  Is there no truth in beauty?  That is, can we not also find truth in the beautiful things of God’s world.  The psalmist often looks to the created order as a display of God’s glory.  To see the beauty of it and be in awe.  The apostle Paul tells us to set our minds on the things that are true AND beautiful.  Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (ESV)

So can’t we say that in Taylor’s example, both paintings bring glory to God?  Neither is an “accurate” portrait of the things they represent, and yet both accurately portray aspects of life in this world.  Suffering is real.  Light is real.  We can find truth in both. In fact, only by knowing the truth of the Light can we even deal with the truth of the darkness around us.

I’ve been a fan of Steve Taylor since I discovered his music in the 80’s. I’ve always loved his ability to push the envelope and cause us to think; to get outside our comfort zones and deal with real life.  Yet, on this point I have to disagree.  There is truth in beauty.  Not to ignore or deny the “realities” of life, but to draw our attention the beauty of this world, even in its fallen state, is still glorifying to God. 

(Now for you Star Trek fans who know the plot line of the episode by this title, I would say that this means even Kollos could be said to be beautiful, and glorifying to God, in his own way. But that’s a whole different story)

 

Hi There, Remember Me?

 Start and stop.  Start and stop.  After years of faithful writing on this blog, I fell into a horrible rut of not writing for long periods of time, only to try and get it going again, only to fall of the face of the earth again. 

Recently, I was given the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of a book by John Beeson and Benjamin Vrbicek called Blogging for God's Glory in a Clickbait World.  It will be out in a few weeks, and I'd encourage folks to get a copy.  Blogging folks, that is.

Anyway, reading that book encouraged me to give this another go.  Awhile back I said I was going to use Mondays to post Sunday's message from our church.  Audio files became an issue when our church page began having trouble.  Then Covid hit, and we started doing live streams.  So now, I have videos available.  I will begin, then, by sharing yesterday's message. 

 As we continue to go through Matthew's Gospel, we found ourselves reading the account of Jesus being tested by some Sadducees regarding the outlandish example of seven brothers all marrying the same woman, one by one, after the previous brother dies; and in the resurrection, whose wife will she be?  Wow.  What's that all about?  Well, if you really want to know, here's the video.  And check back here soon for some "original" content.  In fact, the next article is already written entitled Is There No Truth In Beauty?  

Now for Sunday's Message:

Catching Up

In trying to get this thing going again, I had said that I was going to post on each Monday with a link to Sunday's message.  Obviously that hasn't been done lately.  But in my defense, it's not entirely my fault. 

We've had some issues with the Wordpress site where we host our church page and sermons.  I haven't been able to upload for well over a month.  That issue is now resolved and I'll try to get back to the Monday messages, as well as getting some other content going again.  (I know there are at least 2 people out there who care one way or the other.  Thanks, mom).

So, as a little catch up, here are links to the January messages (we missed one week due to weather)

200105a- The Son of God; Matthew 14:22-33

200119a- Seeking and Sharing Christ; Matthew 14:34-36

200126a- The Problem of the Heart; Matthew 15:1-20

Hopefully more to come...

Leaving a Legacy

I spent part of my morning attending the funeral service for one of the leading pastors in our community. Not my favorite way to spend a Saturday morning, but I’m glad I was there.

A lot of things about this brother’s sudden passing have affected me.  He was only a couple years older than me, which always causes one to pause and consider your own mortality.  Also, I regret not having gone out of my way to be a better friend to my brother.  We got along fine; served our local Baptist Association together; I even joined him for a time together with a group of pastors who would pray together.  Yet, I never went out of my way to just call and ask him to grab some coffee, or whatever.  I regret that.

  

There have been a few other thoughts and feelings that have come to me since hearing of his sudden departure from this life. But as I sat through the service this morning, the one thing that stood out was the impact he has had on our community.  Lives touched for the Kingdom of God and His glory.  I may not have always agreed with my brother on every little doctrinal detail and method of ministry.  But there was never any doubt that he loved Jesus and wanted to see Him exalted.  

The results of that love could be seen by the hundreds of people who came today.  The church sanctuary was filled, and overflow seating was set up in the gym/fellowship area to watch on a live stream.  Truly this brother had an impact for the Kingdom.

I left this morning with a lot of questions.  Foremost among them: am I having any impact for the Kingdom?  What will my legacy be?  When the day comes, and it will surely come, when my family gathers to say an earthly farewell to me, who else will be with them?  Not that I’ve ever felt drawing a crowd is the point.  I don’t feel that way about ministry now, so I certainly don’t feel that way about a funeral.  And yet, again, what is my legacy?  

I’ve conducted enough funerals myself to know that these are emotional times.  People are led to do a lot of reflecting, which is a good thing.  It’s good to think about our own mortality.  It’s good, especially, to think about that in terms of whether or not we are prepared for eternity.  Which is why I always want to make the Gospel a focus during funeral services.  But it’s not just about the emotional reactions.

What is the legacy I will leave behind?  Does my life reflect Christ in the way it should?  Am I being a blessing to those around me, especially to my family?  Am I leading them by example, not just by words, to seek after Christ? Am I being an encouragement to my fellow servants in the Kingdom, faithfully praying for them and standing with them as we seek His glory together?  Most importantly, how will I change from this day forward to seek to improve in these areas.  It does no good to reflect and question, if I’m not willing to make changes, right?

This is just a ramble, I know.  Just a few thoughts I needed to write down for my own sake, to help organize my own thoughts.  Still, I hope that anyone who might somehow get lost on the internet and stumble on to these words, that you might be led to consider your own legacy.  Are you prepared for eternity yourself; by grace through faith in Christ alone; and are you leading those around you to seek Christ and His glory as well? 

Every one of us will face this moment when we’re not just attending a funeral, but we are the guest of honor.  How are we preparing for that day?  What will be our legacy?  And will Christ be exalted by our death as much as our life? More than anything, my greatest desire, is that on that day I will hear from my King, "Well done, good and faithful servant."