Worship

I was recently asked if I had any interest in performing a spoken word poem with a Christian metal band. The group is local and goes by the name “Intercessor” and shortly after completing and releasing their debut album they gained enough traction to start performing live shows. The lead singer does happen to be a close friend of mine, and so naturally, I was very grateful that he asked, and I was really looking forward to being in a gig with them. As excited as I was for a chance to write and perform something new, I experienced a lot of fear and anxiety around the thought of needing to “perform.” They had only given me a one-month notice so the pressure was on. I found myself easily and quickly getting caught up in “self,” and at one point I began to realize that I was beginning to completely miss the point. Every time I sat down to try and write something that I hoped and intended to be God-glorifying, the image of myself on a stage in front of others while feeling terrified, would pop up and crowd out the images I wanted to express and portray. Images of a loving Heavenly Father; a portrait of the person and work of Jesus; the everlasting truth of The Holy Spirit and His ability to transform hearts; a redeemed perspective and God-driven inspiration was the place where I desperately desired to create from, but I was clearly about to miss the mark. The harder I tried to simply “will” myself into a different mindset, the more anxious I became, and with only two weeks left before the show I had nothing written.

The Bible has a lot to say about worship. Whether it’s concerning our hearts (Matthew 15:8-9; Exodus 29:13) or the types of songs and instruments used in worship (Psalm 150:1-5; Psalm 98:1-7). I personally enjoy the Psalmist’s call to use clashing cymbals and ram horns in worship. The world needs more of that. All said, even if our hearts are in the right place and we use every single instrument, worship in song and sound doctrine is important (1 Timothy 4:16; Titus 1:9; Titus 2:1).

Life In View of the Cross

2020 has been a crazy year. What’s that old saying? “Fail to plan and your plan will fail?” Well, if 2020 could rewrite that, we’d all agree it’d be something like, “Sure, go ahead, make your plans, get excited about them, plan on them, but your plan will fail.” SERIOUSLY. If you’re anything like me, it has been so easy to not worry about plans. A lot of people found their Covid-routines. It’s not like everyone loves it, but it has been what it has been.

This holiday season is honestly, a strange one! As families navigate spending time together over zoom calls and have virtual mashed potato wars with relatives, we long to be together again. Maybe you can relate with me in loving snippets of normalcy, like walking through a Christmas tree lot, experiencing holiday cheer from bell ringers outside a grocery store, and hearing All I Want For Christmas Is You for the hundredth time on the radio. Christmas traditions have never felt so comforting.