Take a look at that face...

pure genius

Worship Ministry Joys: Part 2

Another great worship ministry joy in my life is the work I am privileged to do with the adults at Cornerstone.

When my family and I came to Cornerstone, music ministry was not something new to me by any means. Honestly, I felt like I had done it all and seen it all by that time. But never in my now 21 years of direct ministry involvement have I felt so overwhelmed by joy as I do with the partners and friends...the family we have created within our Adult Vocal Music Ministry...The Cornerstone PraiSingers.

I am not even sure how to describe our team...they are talented, creative, daring, unabashed in their love for the Lord, astute in their knowledge of the Word...serious about pursuing Christ with their whole heart. They aren't afraid of tackling challenges or of taking mountains...they have the 'spirit of Caleb' within them (Numbers 13:30..."we should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.")

Over the last 7 1/2 years, the joys we have shared as well as the sorrows we have experienced together have knit our hearts together in a tightly woven bond. This is a team that truly loves each other, and one unlike I have never experienced within the confines of church.

We are now working on a unique project..."Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs: The sounds of praise throughout the ages". We will record this project on the Sunday evening before Mother's Day 2007. It is a project that I have always dreamed of doing...with the people whom I truly want to do it. From plainsong chant to the contemporary arrangements of a Gospel Choir and every age in between...musical expressions of praise that have been penned and enjoyed since music became a staple in the life of the organized church.

Once again, our PraiSingers see a mountain and aren't afraid to climb.

Tonight, we began rehearsal with Robin Mark's "Days of Elijah"...although we have sung this in the past, even tonight we found new nuances and beauty in the interpretation. This team is so teachable, and they respond to direction beautifully. Actually, many times tonight I was afraid that I might just be in the way! It was awesome, and when they began to sing "There's no God like Jehovah...", I literally had chills up and down my arms. Upon leaving that, we started work on Beethoven's "Hallelujah" from Mount of Olives (yes, just another one of Ludwig's little ditties...). After the initial shock of the sheer scope of the piece, we jumped right in as a team...and before we left, I heard Beethoven in the voices of each section. Some on our team are just learning to read music, while others are seasoned...and yet the beauty of the music and the power of the text was revealed even in a short time. My heart began to beat faster...we're singing Beethoven!

To end rehearsal, I shared a recording with them of a musical gift that had been given to me on my birthday...it was a recording of "The Prairie Home Companion" and a musical story about a choir who sang classical music for their director, yet they had rock and roll in their hearts. I literally laughed with them until I had tears running down my cheeks...which were aching because I was smiling so much! At the end, we always share our prayer requests for each other and for those we know of and love. Tonight was no different.

Not your typical church choir rehearsal...but then again, this is no typical choir. I can't say it enough...we are a family.

PraiSingers, I love everyone of you so much that sometimes it makes my heart leap at the very thought of our time together each week. Thank you, everyone of you...for reminding me constantly of how blessed I am as a pastor and musician. Your music making, your offerings of praise and your determination to achieve excellence "as unto the Lord" has been a living example of Colossians 3:23 to me.

By the way...yes, we are singing Beethoven...and their is no choreography planned...yet.

Worship Ministry Joys: Part 1

One of the great joys of the ministry that I get to do is to make music with our student choir here at Cornerstone, The Celebration Singers Student Choir. Let me share why...

When I was in high school, I had a friend invite me to come be a part of the youth choir at First Baptist Church in Mineola, Texas...the Chapel Choir. I enjoyed singing and playing the piano, but when I experienced the first rehearsal with that group, I was blown away. I didn't realize that sounds like that were possible with kids our age! All of it was possible because of one man who eventually had a huge impact in my life...Mr. Tommy Lander, the minister of music there at First Baptist. He expected excellence from us, and would settle for nothing less than our very best...after all, it was the Lord Jesus we were singing to and for, and who would bring his 2nd best to the King of kings?

I was inspired, and during the years that followed, I knew that one day I wanted to provide an opportunity for other students to experience the same joy, the same stirring within their souls that I had experienced. I wanted them to hear the voice of God as I had heard...after all, it was on a summer choir tour that God spoke His calling into my life.

Fast forward to the year 2000...13 students dared to take a challenge from me to sing at our first official Christmas production. Now whether out of fear, sense of duty, or love of music, I don't know...but these students stepped up to the challenge and made the first sounds that would turn into the Celebration Singers.

Working with students is a challenge, no doubt. Everyone of them in our large group (we average 80 students per week now, on a Monday afternoon of all times!) come from various backgrounds and social standing. With the incredible help of great section teachers (yes, we have come a long way!), something beyond magical occurs...it's spiritual. Young voices are blended across sections, across differences and beautiful harmony is produced.

What a beautiful picture of the body of Christ. Every section doing its job to delightful excellence, focused on not just the ability of the individual section but the bigger picture of the whole, produces something that individually is not possible...harmony. If one section lags, lacks focus or proper intonation, the whole choir suffers. If one person within the section decides to not follow proper vowel or consonant rules, the section suffers...and thus the whole. It is exactly what Paul was talking about in Romans 12. Read it.

Students, thank you for reminding me every Monday of the joy of the body of Christ.

Just one more for charcter...

Yea Tony...you did it the Lord's way.

Listen...you can hear the applause of heaven,

not necessarily for the win...

but for the journey.

Hurray for character...and for toilet paper.

Of all the qualities that I admire the most in people, it is an upright character. I have never known someone that had too much of it, but I have come in contact with plenty of people who needed it. An abundance of character is not easily described, but the lack thereof is easily recognized.

For instance, take Tony Dungy...the coach of my Super Bowl winning team The Indianapolis Colts. How can you descibe this humble man's character? He is admired, respected and trusted both on and off the field. He gives credit where credit is due, and bows his head when showered with accolades, no matter how deservedly they are given. His upright character is fleshed out in his personal and private life, and although certainly not a perfect man, he is a great example of Paul's admonition to "follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1; Phil 3:17)

Tonight, I came home to find that my yard had been "TP'd" in a grand fashion. Now, for those of you who don't know me well, I consider this a mortal offense...it's just a big deal to me because I try to do all that I can to take humble pride in the stewardship of all of which God has blessed our family, not for our own glory, but because I think that my yard is a potential witness to my own character. I mean, I understand pranks and jokes, but this is not one that I grant favor or a blind eye. Immediately, I got on the phone and called a young man that I thought might know who the culprits were...and immediately he confessed and gave me the names of all of those students (whom I love dearly, by the way) who were involved. He did so immediately and humbly, and upon my request to come and clean it up, he didn't hesistate. His upright character came blazing through as a testimony of respect and love. Being sick, I expressed my disappointment, but my thanks for his honesty and his action.

Within several minutes, 7 of the 8 students involved were at my house in the 10 pm hour cleaning the mess up...which was no easy task. And, although they couldn't get it all, they all 'manned up' (even though one was a young woman!) and got it as clean as possible with little more light than the moon and the front porch lights.

This is so rare these days. Upright character...instant honesty...integrity...ownership of one's actions. Why? What has happened to us that we settle for less than transparency and introspection within our personal lives? Are we so deceived and blinded by the victim mentality ("it was someone else's fault"..."the devil made me do it"..."if someone had been there to stop me, it wouldn't have happened") that we brush upright character into some obscure corner of our lives? Who is actually out there among us as believers that would man up with enough courage to say, "Follow me as I follow Christ"...and those of us who would follow could, with confidence, say "I am actually being led towards Christ."? Does it really take a Super Bowl or a toilet bowl for us to find people who are upright?

Upright character...any takers?

Bring on the TP.