Pentecostal Churches and Jazz Clubs

Here at KCF, we have had a six foot Yamaha Conservatory grand piano for as long as I can remember. It's a wonderful instrument and one that I have enjoyed playing on with the worship team over the years (and it seems I remember one or two piano recitals when I was maybe 10 or 11).

Over the years I have come to love that piano. Musicians know that every instrument has its peculiarities and nuances and this one is no exception. There is that dent in the lid from the time that someone decided to stack chairs on top. There is that low G string that has been a problem for the last dozen years or so. And that lousy bench with no padding (a big concern for a no-padding individual like myself), well, that really has no special place in my heart. But I love the action of the keyboard, the tone, the weight of the damper pedal. The instrument speaks to me.

All this to say that we are currently looking at how best to deal with the ongoing maintenance issues of this 20 year old instrument. I was tickled by this recent email interaction between our piano technician (and staff member) and a Yamaha tech:

After restringing the piano, the church will want to address the problem, which is caused by the way it is being played. A peculiar rhythm, excessive use of the damper pedal, and/or hard playing of the piano will result in breaking strings. It is a well known phenomenon among manufacturers of performance level pianos, most frequently found in Pentecostal churches and jazz clubs. Nowadays, it is exacerbated by amplified sound, whether from voices, other instruments, percussion instruments, etc. The proliferation of all of that noise drowns out the piano, and for some reason people expect the piano to be able to be heard above it. Often, they will amplify the piano too, but they don’t offer the pianist a way to hear himself play, so he pounds on it. Good monitors can help, but if you turn them up high enough to be heard, you may get feedback. The best approach is to give the pianist headphones, or in-ear monitors.

So there you have it, we are either a pentecostal church or a jazz club! You decide which one!

Your Inflow Must Exceed Your Outflow

A well-established rule of ministry is that you must make sure that you are feeding yourself so that as you feed others, you don't run empty. It's more then just a rule of ministry, but really a rule of leadership in general. You've heard it before, "A Leader is a Reader."

Leaders, ministry and otherwise, must maintain a learning posture so that they stay sharp and fresh. When we don't feed ourselves, then we end up speaking only out of yesterday's knowledge and experiences. While yesterday's knowledge and experiences can really be valuable, if they are not tempered and challenged by the lessons we are learning today, then we run the risk of coming up short.

The challenge is to make sure that our intake is varied. Just like our physical diet, if we over-emphasize one type of food, then we run the risk of missing out on the balanced diet that is necessary for long term health. Of course, there are times when we do intentionally want an unbalanced diet in order to achieve certain goals (e.g., weight loss, strength building, medical, etc.), but if we do this for too long we run the risk of making ourselves unhealthy.

When it comes to learning intake, my tendency is to get stuck on one type of reading or study material and end up compromising my diet. But when I am conscious and intentional about it, I make an effort to widen the variety of my intake.

• Magazines like Wired, Fast Company, Smithsonian, and (yes, I must admit) Car and Driver
• Movies ranging from contemporary romantic comedies (with and for my wife) to movies like Appaloosa (a great study in characters), Slumdog Millionaire and Outsourced (east meets west), and many others.
• Books. NY Times bestseller list items along with what's hot in the church world along with classic fiction along with contemporary fiction, etc.
• Commentaries. Read old and new commentaries when studying a passage.
• Newspapers. I love the WSJ (but don't get to read it as often as I'd like) but USA Today is excellent because it keeps you in touch with the news that most Americans are reading.

Suggestions?

Three Things that Go Up In a Down Economy

According to Rick Warren, there are three things that go up when going through financially difficult times as a nation:

• Church Attendance
  
• Bar Attendance
  
• Movie Attendance

I suppose this jives with a comment I heard while watching a recent boxing match.  The commentator said that they had seen a larger attendance in their last four fights then they had seen in many years and attributed the difference to the recession.

Appreciating the Little Stuff

submitted to The Hanford Sentinel for the Sunday Solutions section.

There are certain things we must be reminded of over and over again because we keep forgetting them. We always seem to forget that patience is a virtue. That saving is better then spending. That today's decisions determine tomorrow's future. And that our lives are made up of little things — little decisions, little experiences, little conversations. And these little things woven together form the tapestry of our existence.

All too frequently I make the mistake of thinking that the really important stuff in life is the big stuff. And it's not that the big stuff is not important because it most certainly is. A marriage, the birth of a child, a job promotion, a graduation — these big things are significant and meaningful and very frequently alter the course of life.

But where I really live day to day is in-between the big stuff. And what I forget is that the big stuff is a result of the little stuff of life. That "big" accomplishment of receiving the college diploma was a result of the countless "little" study sessions, assignments and papers. The "big" promotion was the result of the "little" decisions to be consistent, diligent and loyal. And the "big" payoff of my children growing up to be healthy, well-adjusted adults will be the result of the "little" daily grind of homework, playtime, consistent discipline and lots of love spelled t-i-m-e.

But if you're like me, you make the mistake of overemphasizing the big stuff and dismissing the little stuff. Very often, the little stuff is just not that exciting. Frankly, it can be quite boring. And that is why you and I forget that the little stuff is actually the most important stuff.

All of our habits, whether constructive or destructive, are a result of little decisions made over and over again. Our character — whether we are truthful or deceptive, loyal or disloyal, bitter or thankful — is simply the outflow of choices made over the course of a lifetime. Our relationships — the good, the bad and the ugly — are a reflection of our words, gifts, and time (usually given in small doses over long periods).

Remember, the little stuff of today — that conversation you need to have with your teenager, that relationship you need to mend, that task at work you've been putting off, that annoying habit you need to break, that trip to the dentist you've been avoiding, that decision to get things right with God — these are actually the big things of life. And if we choose to approach them with an attitude that devalues their importance, we are missing their true significance.

There is a verse in Scripture in Zecharaiah that reminds us not to "despise the day of small things." So, the next time you are tempted to look at your life and despise the little stuff, don't! Instead, make the decision to enjoy it to the last drop. Be grateful. Appreciate the little stuff.

You Be the Judge

You Be the Judge
Life Notes submission to The Hanford Sentinel


One of Jesus' more familiar quotes is, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." I am convinced this is one of the most abused and misunderstood passages in Scripture. You hear it used all the time by those who don't want to be told their behavior is inappropriate. "Don't judge me," they say, "cause Jesus said you have no right!" I have even heard it used repeatedly as an excuse to get dismissed from jury duty. "I can't judge," people say, "because I'm a Christian and Jesus said not to."

This passage is found in the seventh chapter of Matthew and when you read the four verses that follow the oft quoted phrase, you discover that Jesus is neither giving people a pass for bad behavior, nor a lame jury excuse. What He is saying is that we have a problem with putting ourselves into God's shoes and trying to be the ultimate judge. We love to criticize, tear people down to size and generally put people in their place.

It is not that there is any problem with encouraging someone to come out of an addiction or be faithful to their spouse or not cheat on their taxes. On the contrary, these things are desirable and Christ wants us to be a help to our fellow human being. The problem is the way we do it!

The truth is that we all have areas in our lives that do not measure up to God's standard. And when we judge and criticize another with an attitude that says "I have a right to judge you," we are sorely mistaken. Even Christ Himself said that He didn't come to judge in that way, instead he came to save.

The difference is love. It is said that love covers a multitude of sins. It is said, because it does. Jesus came to cover us with His love so that we could once again have an open relationship with Father God without separation or distance. Jesus' love was so obvious to people that even the worst sinners flocked to Him.

We, on the other hand, have a difficulty with that kind of love. We get love confused with approval. We are afraid if we love someone they will get the idea that we approve of their bad behavior. So we do what is easy and shut off the love and bring out the judgment.

Judgment is so much easier than love. It knows only right or wrong without grey. It requires no relationship. It demands no sacrifice. It costs you nothing.

Love on the other hand, love can cost you everything.

This weekend, why don't you visit a church and find some people who will love you enough to help you come out of that dark place you've been stuck in? Oh, and, the next time you're tempted to play judge, just remember, Christ loves you enough to forgive you, why don't you try some of that medicine on someone else?