The Kingdom and the King

This is my answer to this week's question for my Essentials*Blue worship theology and worldview course. Thought I would post it here for you to have a glance at. The question is based out of reading section two of N.T. Wright's book, Simply Christian and watching a great bit of media by Dan Wilt entitled The Nature of God...

Upon reading this section of the book, I found myself leaning back, putting my hands through my hair, widening my eyes and sighing out heavily. “This thing is just so BIG” I thought to myself. And it is because of that intense “bigness”, I am feeling passionate, excited and thriving on every time the “Kingdom” pops up in our discussions.

Let me ground something here. I love the “Kingdom theology”. I have studied it, I have poured myself into trying to live a Kingdom lifestyle for years now and if you get me into a cafe for a coffee, we won’t leave without me at least once talking to you passionately about something to do with “the Kingdom”.

And I think that is what has challenged me, yet again. (When will you learn Dan?!) The Kingdom is a huge topic. It is not something we just read in a few pages of a book, or listen to a Wimber teaching, or pray a few prayers and we have then mastered. The history, the characters, the positioning, the timing, the attitudes, the blessings, the war, the outcomes, the struggles, the faith... and so-on and so-on... It is a life pursuit that lies before us. 

“Seek first the Kingdom” Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, and I see why. When we let other things become first, the Kingdom isn’t anymore. And when the Kingdom story isn’t in the front of our thinking and manifesting in our actions, we start thinking about other things which aren’t so important and send us down a side-track of time-wasting, people-pleasing or ego-feeding instead.

As for the four theological ideas on the Nature of God, I immediately struggle and debate which I would isolate as the one to use. But after biting the clicker-bit off my pen and procrastinating and changing over my vinyl I was listening to, I am reminded of how when the word “Kingdom” is broken down, it means the “King’s domain”. 

It would be impossible to raise up a strong Kingdom-influenced church without worshipping the King, learning about the King, and declaring who the King is in our worship. 

Joel Auge

I just checked out Joel Auge from a recommendation by Dan Wilt.

Verdict? I like it very much. I have only checked out his tracks on his MySpace page and I haven't stopped listening to his track "On the blue". What a song. With vocals that remind me of Ryan Adams a little, and lyrics that are so relaxed - yet challenging, it is one very tidy song.

Here are the lyrics...

Take me to, take me to 
Where you took Peter and the boys 
Calmed the stormy noise 
Made it so they knew 
They had to trust in you 
Walk with me 
Talk with me 
I want to know what you would say 
If you had me face to face 
What would I do 
With my feet out on the blue 
What would I do 
With my feet out on the blue 
Would I know that I was safe 
By your side out on the waves 
Would you tell don’t look down 
Keep your eyes fixed on me now 
When the waves wrap at your feet 
Don’t you worry, look to me 
Make me move 
Make me move 
I want to be what you’re about 
And not have any doubt in you 
Be what you want me to 
Even as my brain tells me that I should drown 
I still so believe that you would never let me down 

The Worship Artisan title reflection (ICEWS, e*b08)

For: The Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St Stephen's University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology course with Dan Wilt.

A person making coffee in Italy takes about four years before they earn the title of a "coffee barrista." Four years of falling in love with the coffee, of learning how it works, growing more and more passionate about their coffee.

Here in New Zealand, a place far less passionate about coffee than Italy, a kid can walk into a cafe and get a job for the weekends, and call themselves a coffee barrista after being just shown how to use the machine. The result unfortunately, is really bad coffees. But they are carrying and representing a title that is meant to be earned and honoured.

It's a similar situation in worship circles; we call ourselves "worship leaders" when we have actually only been shown how to sing some songs and perhaps pray some prayers and read some scripture out, but unfortunately, this is not doing the title any justice.

A title which is new to my ears, "The worship artisan", is an incredible title to sit and ponder upon. It paints a far greater picture of what a worship leader is and what responsibilities they carry. It paints a picture of a passionate person, who is in love with their God-given craft, who grows and extends their craft, putting in the hard work. It paints a picture of someone who is excited about worship's past, present and future. It paints a picture of someone who is excited about the bigger story, and the role that they play in it.

It's time we call a "coffee barrista" a coffee barrista when they are one.

Buildings of theology. (ICEWS, e*b 08)

For: The Institute of Contemporary and Emerging Worship Studies, St Stephen's University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology course with Dan Wilt.

A thought I have not been able to shake has come from a testimony story that Dan Wilt shares in his video "The Rise of the Worship Artisan". Dan is sharing about his memories of going to church as a boy and talks about the beauty of the stained glass windows, and the story they tell.

I recently attended a worship conference called Noise, which was held in The Holy Trinity Cathedral here in Auckland, New Zealand. I had never been there before, nor had I ever attended this conference. This conference has only just moved to this amazing venue this year, and in past years had been held in a stadium type venue.

I was having a meal with one of the members of my worship team during the conference and asked them what was the main difference between the conference of earlier years and this year's one, and her reply was "The venue is amazing."

I immediately saw what she was saying. It is the peaceful serenity, the beauty of the architecture and art, and the presence of something that can not be found in just an any old stadium. It is only found in a place that has been built, grown, journeyed and moved through time with a goal in mind that I had completely missed until that meal. I knew that building was there to glorify God,  but I had missed what that entailed: to lift people's gazes to the heavens, to teach people theology, to show them the story, to paint a bigger picture for them. 

"Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!" is how the Psalms sign out. Let me, a human who has had life breathed into me by the Creator, with every breath, with every thing I do while I still have a heartbeat, praise the One who first breathed into me. Whether it be the common default, and sometimes melancholic of singing, or whether it be in the lesser recognised, the more subtle praise, by creating with my hands, or by looking with my eyes, or listening with my ears.

Breathing in...

In relation to an earlier blog this week... I am taking a moment to breathe in before breathing back out.

Juggling between my end-of-term youth event for Friday (it's our Short Film competition's, Academy Awards, which is pretty much our biggest social event of the year for our youth and their families) and my worship theology course, it has gotten very easy to neglect that simple thing of stopping and breathing Him in.

Did I mention that I am loving my new devotion book "A life of Miracles" by Bill Johnson? Cause I am, very much! Great "breathing in" material...

Well, I am in Wednesday of my chaos week and I have finally made a dent into it. I have got the church magazine finished, I have completed a huge chunk of reading and watching of video for my worship course, and now I am processing for the next day or two before posting a blog of thoughts. But gosh, my brain is mush right now cause I thought I new a thing or two, but it turns out I have been leading off the sniff of an oily rag from a worship conference I went to when I was 14. I am reminded of this classic Johnny Cash moment, at Folsom Prison... This course is a huge breath of fresh air into what has been a sweatshop operating out of a closet.

"Ya know, standing back there in your shop catching my breath, I've come to admire you even more. You see, I've never had to do hard time like you. Although, I have on occasion, got myself busted... ...well anyways, I felt tough ya' know? Like I'd seen a thing or two ya' know? But that was till a moment ago, cause I've got to tell you. My hat's off to you now. Cause I ain't ever had to drink this here yella' water you got here at Folsom!" 

Ok, so let the processing begin.

New Planetshakers album is ok...

I picked this up the other week after seeing Henry Seeley (one of the leaders) at a worship conference the other week and really liking the things he had to say in the clinics. 

The album is quite awesome to have pumping in the car, and there are some useable congregation songs on here, but like so many of these albums (Planetshakers, Hillsong United etc...) I find myself asking the same question... "Where is the grit?" There are glimpses, but it feels spread thin at times. They are great albums to listen to, and they have some powerful moments, but I sort of shrug my shoulders at the songwriting's depth and breadth. But boy, are they catchy songs, some of them really do get stuck in your head!

I give it a 3 out of 5. My 1 being "Marilyn Manson could write better songs than this one" and 5 being "Your love reaches me" which is an older Vineyard album which for me is one very powerful album.