We recently read through the book of Daniel in our Route 66 reading at Central and I really enjoyed it. For whatever reason, there were a handful of things that stood out to me about it as I read it through this time and so I’ll dedicate a few posts to my thoughts on it.
“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” Daniel 1:17
What strikes me about this passage is that God gives them gifts in areas that would be surprising to most of us. I’d expect the typical person to be caught off guard if they heard someone praying and asking God for understanding when it came to a current fictional book of literature that is popular. Or dreams… or learning in general. We’d likely think that person crazy or at least theologically adrift.
This to me is another example of our tendency to try and limit God and expand our view of our own ability. God can speak to us however He wants and we might be able to hear more if we were looking in more places. I would love for this verse to be true in my life.
I’m going to focus my highlights from chapter 7 of Divine Conspiracy into one specific topic addressed. My favorite part of this chapter was Willard’s explanation of Matthew 7:6 which is a very confusing verse. It says, “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” I’ve heard various explanations of this that have never really clicked for me. But here is how he put it:
“The problem with pearls for pigs is not that the pigs are not worthy. It is not worthiness that is in question here at all, but helpfulness. Pigs cannot digest pearls, cannot nourish themselves upon them. Likewise for a dog with a Bible or a crucifix. The dog cannot eat it. The reason these animals will finally ‘turn and rend you,’ when you one day step up to them with another load of Bibles or pearls, is that you at least are edible. Anyone who has ever had serious responsibilities of caring for animals will understand immediately what Jesus is saying.”
This makes perfect sense and is an incredible way to think of this passage. How often do we give someone something in the “name of God” that they cannot use? I think of people who leave a tract or verse reference at a restaurant instead of a tip because “they need that more than money.” The reality is, that server is trying to earn a living and take care of his/her family and they are unlikely to be impressed with your God if it means you won’t provide for them the way any other “normal” person would. Here’s my suggestion if you are prone to wanting to do this: how about you leave a lavish tip to go with the Bible tract? That will shock them for sure. Willard goes on to explain:
“Frankly, our ‘pearls’ often are offered with a certain superiority of bearing that keeps us from paying attention to those we are trying to help. We have solutions. That should be enough, shouldn’t it? And very quickly some contempt, impatience, anger, and even condemnation slips into our offer.”
Some people have such a cool name that you wonder if they can live up to it. Barton Damer does. Barton has allowed his faith to be at the center of his work and has made a huge footprint into the industry of digital art. His beliefs shape the passion he puts into his work and the professionalism and quality that he has become known for.
In 2009, Barton was awarded the Digital Artist of the year award by Computer Arts, Intel, and 3d World Magazine. He has written many tutorials as well as traveled and taught at various design and media conferences. His skills include traditional drawing, graphic design, illustration, and motion design. Click here to check out his site.
Jeremy: Tell us something odd/unique about you.
Barton: I have had both knees reconstructed (blown out ACL and meniscus from skateboarding). Blew out the first one when I was 18. Blew out the 2nd one when I was 25. Skating better at 35 years old than I have in years!
Jeremy: Most of what you do is dependent on your creativity. How does your faith affect the creative process for you?
Barton: Prayer is a HUGE part of the creative process. Everyday I find myself praying over the next project and having NO CLUE what to do for it. Time is ticking… budget is dwindling… but I have faith that God has a plan for each project that comes my way and will provide what is needed (ideas, inspiration, resources, etc.).
Jeremy: Do you think people are born leaders or develop into leaders?
Barton: I think we are born with leadership skills that have to be developed! 🙂
Jeremy: How can people put themselves into a position to influence culture?
Barton: Here’s how to NOT influence culture… isolate yourself or form your own subculture! If you are going to be the most valuable quarterback on the planet, would you form a separate football league and expect to prove your worth? Or would you work hard to be drafted in the NFL and prove yourself over time – while gaining the respect of your peers? Validation from your peers is a large part of influencing culture. Imagine being a designer within a church yet nobody outside of the church is interested in your work. However, if you can walk into your church job having worked on some good outside projects, your work is being validated and you are gaining more influence in your job/ministry setting. Without that outside validation, you are hurting yourself and probably not being fully appreciated at your day job.
Jeremy: Why are you a follower of Jesus Christ?
Barton: Because I have experienced his love first hand and continue to see the miracles he works in my life.
Jeremy: What do you do personally to fuel your spiritual life?
Barton: Call my mom! We’ve always had a tradition of talking about anything and everything spiritual you can imagine. Both my parents are great examples and get me pumped on the Lord! I read a daily email devotional by Os Hillman. That has been pretty inspirational for me over the years in addition to alone time and prayer. I have a 10 year old son (as well as 2 younger kids) and we do devotions together every night. Sometimes I’m lazy and want to skip a lesson but he’s quick to remind me to read before he will fall asleep. Teaching is often the best way to learn!
Jeremy: What is your hope for the future of the Church in America?
Barton: I hope the church will focus on being real… not relevant. The reality is… the community needs solid believers to influence culture. Our kid’s basketball leagues need Godly examples for coaches. Our school systems need mom’s who can volunteer to help during the week. You can’t influence culture by putting on a show once a week and expect your community to buy into that. I’m not saying modern day/slick presentations are bad… I’m saying that’s not reality. Being real is how you will respond when the 4th grade teacher asks your child if they prefer to be straight or gay. Real is how you react to the referee who isn’t calling fouls as your child flies face first into the bleachers. Real is how you treat that nightmare client/boss that cusses you out on the 11th hour of a really long work day. Real is revealed over time through relationships we develop in our community. Those are the things that will make us relevant.
Jeremy: Should we abandon the use of the word “Christian” for a better term? If so, what?
Barton: Seems like we already have abandoned it. All I hear anymore is “believers” or “Christ followers”. I think there are times when the term “Christian” could be prohibitive. It’s probably best to recognize those moments and look for alternative descriptions. You cannot control the stereotypes people will associate to the word. On the other hand, it’s never too late for the term “christian” to be redeemed.
Jeremy: What blogs/websites do you regularly check?
Barton: Anything by Matthew Paul Turner has made me think differently.
Jeremy: What music moves you?
Barton: Phil Wickham released a free worship album called Singalong. Easily my fav worship album. I usually throw that on when I’m having a bad day. Otherwise I listen to all sorts of music including Led Zepplin, The Black Keys, Wolfmother… anything by Jack White. And I love hip hop – mainly 90’s (Tribe Called Quest, Gang Starr, Jeru The Damaja)… but occasionally I like a Kanye, Kid Cudi or Jay-Z song. I just like a good beat! Rock or rap. Doesn’t matter.
Jeremy: Any other thoughts or advice?
Barton: Conan O’Brien said on his last episode of the Tonight Show: “If you work hard and are kind to people, good things will happen.” I like that quote! My parents noticed I was pretty comfortable in my 20s working my job at that time. They reminded me to work hard while I was young because I won’t always have the ability to do that when I’m older. If you are too comfortable where you are… time to start challenging yourself! And be kind to people along the way.
I recently found this song online that is a cover of a Katy Perry song, Teenage Dream, performed by Boyce Avenue. In this version, he sings it from a guy perspective and changes a handful of the lyrics. I would argue that his version is far more romantic, and surprisingly, better. This goes against what I generally think happens when someone changes the lyrics to an original song.
This idea actually has a long history. Many of what are now considered traditional hymns were originally melodies from “secular” music. The early church adapted these melodies to biblical truth and hymns were produced. As once source states:
“The saying that ‘the devil has no right to all the good tunes’ has been attributed to both William Booth and Charles Spurgeon. But it was George Scott Railton, who was to become William’s lieutenant general in 1873 and was well-known as an author and songwriter, who concluded an article ‘About Singing’ (1874) with this impassioned plea: ‘Oh, let us rescue this precious instrument from the clutches of the devil, and make it, as it may be made, a bright and lively power for good!'”
The people in the Salvation Army weren’t the first to use secular music for sacred purposes, though. Note the following:
“[The absence of contrast between ‘secular’ and ‘sacred’ styles of music in the Middle Ages] ‘can be shown simply by the observation that a secular song, if given a set of sacred words, could serve as sacred music, and vice versa. Only recently has it been recognized how frequently such interchange took place, and the more we learn about medieval music, the more important it becomes. The practice of borrowing a song from one sphere and making it suitable for use in the other by the substitution of words is known as “parody” or contrafactum.'”
(Source: Manfred F. Bukofzer, ‘Popular and Secular Music in England’, in The New Oxford History of Music 3: Ars Nova and the Renaissance, 1300-1540, ed. Anselm Hughes and Gerald Abraham (London: Oxford University Press, 1960), p. 108.)
The tension for me is this: I love the potential of the idea. I personally hate what many Christians understand as “Christian” (sacred) vs “secular.” All truth is inspired by the Holy Spirit no matter where it is found. This is the greatest reason why so many Christians sadly have such a small view of God and are so uncomfortable with those of us who “liberally” see Him all over the place.
But the problem, as I see it, is that rarely do I think that changing lyrics to a catchy song is actually done in a way that improves the song. Usually, it’s painfully awkward or funny. But I wonder if this is something the creative among us should put more effort into in the hopes of bridging the superficial gap between Christian and secular? Can we use some of what artists such as Eminem or Metallica have written and actually use them to communicate truth? Are we robbing the revelation of God by not doing so? It’s a sad day if we’ve told God to live in a church building and then convinced ourselves that He actually did it.
This Sunday we had guest artist Hilary Watson lead worship for us at our Gilbert morning services. It is pretty common to have guest artists/worship leaders at Central and I’ve personally interacted with many of them. Almost all of the ones we bring into Central have great talent musically and vocally. I’ve come to expect that. What I don’t expect is for them to surprise me by what they do off-stage.
I want to give a shameless plug for Hilary and her music, especially for those of you who weren’t able to see her, not just because she is a very talented artist. She is. I want to give her a shameless plug because of how impressed I was with her the rest of the time. Let me share two specific examples from Sunday morning that you’d never know about her by listening to her play in the services.
First, as I talked with one of our staff who was running her merch table, he told me that she had instructed them to give away her CDs for free if anyone didn’t have enough money to buy them. For an artist that is trying to establish herself, and that relies solely on music as an income, this is impressive.
Second, I was walking around the lobby in between services talking with people. Hilary had a small window of time in between each service to be at her table and increase her CD sales. I happened to overhear her ask a little child if she was lost and then walk with them to find their parents.
All this to say, she’s a class act on stage and off and I’d encourage you to check out her music and support her. Click here to go to her website and check out her two CDs.
Today a bunch of us from Central attended the Catalyst One Day event in Glendale. It is 4 sessions with Andy Stanley (Northpoint) and Craig Groeschel (Lifechurch.tv). Here are some of their ideas that stood out to me:
“What you become aware of drives your discontentment.” Andy Stanley
“The difference between where you are and where God wants you to be is the painful decisions you are unwilling to make.” Craig Groeschel
“Design your ministry around your values, not the other way around.” Craig Groeschel
“You can ‘how’ a ‘what’ to death.” Andy Stanley
“God also guides by where He does not provide.” Craig Groeschel
“The more you need to know [in your organization], the more you’ll limit what God can do through you.” Craig Groeschel
“Over time, sustaining the model can become the mission.” Andy Stanley
“Where are we manufacturing energy? (What are we pretending is awesome that we know isn’t?)” Andy Stanley
“‘Make disciples’ is the mission. It’s not ‘keep the Christians happy.'” Andy Stanley
We recently read through the book of Daniel in our Route 66 reading at Central and I really enjoyed it. For whatever reason, there were a handful of things that stood out to me about it as I read it through this time and so I’ll dedicate a few posts to my thoughts on it.
