Replies

Imagine a church where the organ player simply cannot play, and doesn't seem to be able to improve. Do you "fire" them? If not, what do you do?

You don't lean on your own understanding. You go directly to the Lord in prayer and put it in His hands. What if, say, they really aren't a believer, but think they are and just need the unjudgemental/unconditional love of the congregation that knows they can't play (and they know they can't play) and through that they finally understand His unconditional love to sinners, who never could and never will play the "righteous" organ well? There are several other scenarios we could come up with that it would God's will not to fire the organist - including the need for the congregation to be more loving toward the rotten playing. The bottom line is that God knows the hearts - theirs and ours and we don't know His will in a situation that will bring Him glory in their hearts. But He does!

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Imagine a church where the organ player simply cannot play, and doesn't seem to be able to improve. Do you "fire" them? If not, what do you do?

You teach people that it is shallow to look at the outward appearances.

I am perfectly capable of handling very difficult music of just about any style, as is my husband Cyrano, and I really have a problem when people expect everyone to be a professional in order to sing joyfully unto God. I think it's wonderful for someone to get up and sing happily for God, totally un-self-conscious, and totally off key. Just because it makes it hard for me to sing next to them is my problem. We are all giving our two mites worth.

Now, if the lady playing the organ is bad and her attitude is bad too, that is another story. A bad attitude would be someone who isn't interested in improvement in offering their gift to God because it's too much of a bother, or they cannot accept direction, or any number of things. (paradox, no?)

I'm still wrestling with the practical aspects of working this out... which is why I stopped singing while I was going through all this and before we took our stand at the church. I felt the focus was all wrong and I wasn't quite sure myself how to proceed, not only in music, but church in general.

Another tidbit-- Cyrano and I have been in those churches where the musicians aren't very talented, the piano is badly out of tune... My dad gladly served a little podunk congregation even though he was a professional musician for 30 years, one of the best in the area. He didn't care, he had learned that in the service of God you cannot force professionalism out of anyone. God doesn't care about it. I certainly understand the demand for excellence in secular arenas, don't get me wrong. And it's good to strive for excellence in all we do. But it is not criteria for what pleases God, or those with no talent would be left out in the cold. It all depends on the attitude of worship before God. I have always enjoyed willing hearts in worship, rather than talented voices. Sure we get together and practice and try to improve or add things, but mistakes are made, people plateau or just can't learn that fast, and in the end at least we offered our best - this is where the relationship part comes in - another thing Warren emphasises in the wrong way. I want to develop rapport with people by working on music together. I enjoy it, even if they are not catching on that quickly or sing out of tune. I would never want anyone to think we have to be perfect up there. Cyrano was the music director at our ex church, and I was on the worship team every other week. We were capable of being more professional, but to what end? To the end of hurting and excluding those who, by no fault of their own, didn't measure up to the demands of the whiners who figured everyone should be as good as what they hear on the radio? And why did they want that kind of music? To move their emotions, that's why. In my view, if the plain and simple truth of Scripture doesn't move your emotions first, then trying to concoct it with good music is an illusion. If the plain truth does move you, you won't be distracted by some bad music.

speaking of emotions, I'm sitting here getting all overcome with emotion, frankly, with tears and deep sense of love for all you believers here who are wrestling with me over this. You are all so precious. I don't deserve the amount of patience you are giving me, please know that I know that.