Worship and the responsibility of the communicator Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about a quote by A.W. Tozer that really wrecked me. Here's the quote,

"The church that can't worship must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment."

It still wrecks me!

So part 1 was all about worship. For me, the bottom line was that worship is food for the soul. Entertainment will never be able to truly satisfy the deep need for worship. Today, I want to tackle the responsibility of the communicator.

I'd be lying if I didn't say there have been times I've been more of an entertainer rather than leading others in worship. It's pretty easy to fall prey to an easy laugh or a catchy statement. If you love a witty acronym or can't wait to get to a set-up punch line, you know what I'm talking about. We all want to be loved and liked and thought well of, so I confess I've taken the easy road and thrown something in to the message that really didn't need to be there. But I'm not alone!

Think about those that are in the news regularly because of the shocking things they've said, done or written. Somebody came to your mind right now, didn't they? If you're really honest, is there any envy that they're in the spotlight right now and perhaps you're not?

We live in a weird christian sub-culture that kind of has a thing for hero worship and celebrity, so who wouldn't want to be affirmed by the praise or criticism of the general public? That stuff sells a lot of the time. And I have favorites too, by the way. Friends tease me all the time for man-crushes I have on specific preachers. But truth be told I think it's much harder to be yourself and to be faithful for your part to play in the bigger story. We're so consumed by the outcome that we forget the true measurement of success: faithfulness.

Let me be clear: it is the responsibility of the communicator to be as creative and engaging as possible. I firmly believe the Holy Spirit works powerfully through his word AND through his children. I owe my best to the One who made me and saved me every time I speak, so if that means I have a funny story to help people remember a biblical truth, I should use it. But at the end of the day, the messenger must make the message priority. There's a difference between being engaging and entertaining. Engagement makes for a better experience. Entertainment makes for a greater need later. Teachers, preachers, priests and communicators must make Christ the hero. He must be the point and we must proclaim him and him alone. Otherwise, without the power of the Holy Spirit, I'm just speaking words. Bottom line: Communicators must do everything they can to ensure the message is clear and leads people to worship.

Worship and the responsibility of the communicator Part 1

"The church that can't worship must be entertained. And men who can't lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment."-A.W.Tozer

I read this quote yesterday and it completely wrecked me. Because this quote has been rattling around in my brain and soul for several hours, and because it has sparked a conversation on my facebook account (my twitter automatically updates my facebook-wow, I sound like a such a social network freak. Anyways...) I've decided to post a couple of blogs with thoughts regarding Tozer's statement. The first will touch on worship and tomorrow will hone in on the responsibility of the communicator. Here goes...

As I write this, my wife is making a fantastic feast of a dinner. It smells amazing. It's safe to say I am going to put the hurting on some grub in just a few minutes! And it's just in time, because my tummy's beginning to rumble. I ate a smaller lunch today and that food is gone.

Much like the pangs in my gut, the human soul aches for worship. There's a longing in the heart to connect with God. Unfortunately, that longing for the Holy can be subsided with entertainment. And just like a piece of candy may subside the need and craving of physical hunger, in the end you feel nauseous or cheated. Entertainment distracts, subdues and eases the ache, but the issue is still just as real as before. It's a short term fix for the bigger issue: the body needs a meal. Our soul craves intimacy, love and relationship through worship. Entertainment is a substitute for the real. Without food, the soul will die. Worship is food for the soul.

By the way, I just took a break to eat dinner, and it was legit. Don't settle for a substitute. There's nothing better than the real thing-it tastes too good (Psalm 34:8)!

Blogs of the week (or maybe even month)

Because I know that I'm not the smartest person in the room (even when I'm the only person in the room), I do my best to digest the thoughts and lives of others by reading blogs, reviewing tweets, or checking out facebook statuses. I think this "research" allows me a view into the mind and soul of other people. It's a great way to keep up with people I care about, respect, or learn from, plus it's just fun. I will regularly contemplate these nuggets and often pass the material on to others.

In other words, I'm an information peddler.

I don't feel bad about that at all, by the way. I always do my best to cite any quotes and give credit to the original idea-maker, and I only peddle what I believe to be important info. With that in mind, I want to pass along some of the best blog postings I've read in the past week. Some, by the way, may be older than a week old-I'm just now getting to them.

Perry Noble knocked it out of the park with this post

Mark Batterson reminded me why it's so important to chase the lion here

In my mind, Seth Godin may be the most mind-blowing blogger on the planet. This, this and this are some of his posts that are making me think!

Pete Wilson's post on 3 questions was humbling and pointed!

Finally, few people make me laugh harder than Jon Acuff. His posts are so humorous because they're so true. For example, check this one out

Well that's about it for this week. I pray these posts are as insightful and encouraging to you as they have been to me!

His and Yours...

Pat Robertson

People make foolish statements all the time. Otherwise the E television channel would really need some help with programing. Unfortunately, when a prominent television personality who is well known due to his conservative faith and politics makes a foolish statement, the backlash is magnified exponentially.

If you haven't heard, Pat Robertson made an inexplicable statement that Haiti brought the earthquake on themselves because the country has been "cursed" since it made a pact with the devil in order to gain independence from France.

Let me be clear: Pat Robertson does not speak on behalf of all Christians. I'm proud of how the Church has arisen to pray, provide aid and, in many cases, ran to the disaster. It's easy to sit back and criticize. It's much harder (and more Christlike) to run to the problem and be the hands and feet of the Christ who gives real life.

Fellow believers, let's not add any more fuel to the fire by sitting in judgment of one person's comments. Instead, may the words we choose to use bring healing rather than division.

Quotes

I love Twitter! It's been a great tool in motivation, thought and practicality. And I confess, I'm on twitter primarily for what I gain from it, not what I can add to it. I only tweet once or twice per day, but I read what others are thinking multiple times throughout the day. I laugh a lot and enjoy catching up with others. But my favorite thing about twitter are the short quotes that make me stop and meditate. It's amazing how thought-provoking and challenging 140 characters can be. So here's a few quotes from a few of the folks I follow that I've been thinking about over the past month. And FYI, you can follow them as well at twitter. This is just a snippet of all the good stuff at twitter.com! May you be as challenged and encouraged as I have been!

"It is not so much the aim of the devil to lure me with evil as it is
to preoccupy me with the meaningless."-Don Miller

here's a question: are you more afraid of offending sinners or
offending pharisees? thou shalt offend pharisees-Mark Batterson

Leadership goal: Not a culture of OPINION which we FORCE on others,
but a culture of COUNSEL which is INVITED by others!-Brian Houston

You HAVE a right to your OPINION, but its NOT always right to share
it! "Wisdom builds the house" but OPINIONS DON'T!-Brian Houston

Leadership goal: Surrounded by leaders who are WISE enough to say NO,
but COURAGEOUS enough when they need to say YES.-Brian Houston

Every great project is built on 3 things: The idea, the capture of the
idea and the execution of the idea.-Jon Acuff

Brainstorming is sexy, but the capture of the idea & the execution of
the idea matter more than the initial creation-Jon Acuff

Most people are educated well beyond their level of obedience-John
Maxwell

"God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him"-
Charles Stanley

"The longer you're in the trenches,the easier it is to mistake the
edge of your rut for the horizon." -Gary Hamel