Here's my new column at CreativeWorshipTour.com
Right up front I know this one may come back to bite me later on down the road. Hopefully you’ll stick with me long enough to really hear where I’m going with this . . .
Think about this statistic for a moment; in the past 15 years our country has grown by 52 million people, yet church attendance remains virtually unchanged (The American Church in Crisis, Dave Olsen). Now consider for a moment all of the fundamental changes that have taken place in our society during that time. Think about the changes in the way we communicate. Think about the changes in the way we interact with our world.
For instance, today I carry a phone in my pocket everywhere I go. It allows me to call, email, text, to surf the web, to connect to Facebook, to tune my guitar, to order my favorite burrito from Chipotle with one touch. It’s my Bible, the latest book I’m reading, my teleprompter, my storyboarding client, my GPS device, my camera, my contact book and my iPod. And it goes everywhere with me, in my pocket. Talk about a revolution.
Now think about the worship experience you participated in last weekend.
Continue reading "the problem with sermons" »
Hey all - here's this week's column from CreativeWorshipTour.com .
Last night I had a chance to attend a sneak preview of the new movie “How To Train Your Dragon.” Being a Dreamworks film I was confident it would be a crowd-pleaser, and that’s exactly what it will be when it comes out here in a few weeks. All you’ll need is a Coke, some popcorn and your inner 10-year-old and you’ll be in for some good times.
Having said that, my expectations for the story itself really weren’t that high. The title itself gives away a whole lot of the journey the protagonist is going to take. Plus, animated movies cost of lot of money to make, so studios have a finite amount of risk their willing to take when it comes to messing with safe storytelling formulas.
So imagine my shock when the movie ended with a genuine surprise. A surprise that was devastating and poignant and symmetrical and beautiful. It doesn’t happen until the very end, but it blew me away with its unexpected power. Completely made my night.
Continue reading "worship narratives and the element of surprise" »
Here's my first column from CreativeWorshipTour.com
Imagine for a moment you were planting a church from scratch with a
group of people who had no experience in Christian worship expressions
of any kind. Would you adopt the same kind of worship format you’ve
always known? Would you blend different aspects of various experiences?
Or would you take the opportunity to step back and reconsider every
element from a fresh perspective?
Growing up I always experienced worship as some variation on a ‘hymn
sandwich’ – open with music, community stuff, long sermon, close with
some music. Liturgies (traditional, charismatic and contemporary)
always felt like predictable checklists, with one element having no
discernable relationship to what proceeded or followed it. In some
churches they even gave out printed orders of service so you could
prejudge the experience before it even began.
Continue reading "storytelling and worship" »
As someone who has (somewhat reluctantly) become something of a Mac person over the past couple of years I was looking forward to hearing about their "latest creation" today. Turns out the new creation is a device called the iPad, a tablet-style device that . . . does stuff. After taking a few minutes to read more about what it's supposed to be I have to admit to being a bit disappointed. But let me give you some context first before I unload my disappointment. I currently own a 15" MacBook Pro (which I have warm fuzzies for) and an iPhone (which is like the twin brother I never had . . . wait . . . never mind) I also got a Kindle as a gift last year, which I used all the time until I realized that the Kindle app on the iPhone worked even better for my lifestyle. Anywho, I really dig my Apple stuff. Which is part of why the iPad may be such a bummer for me.
Continue reading "the problem with the iPad" »