Monthly Archives: February 2012

Putting a Stone on the Other Side of Jordan

Jos 4:3  And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

The church and I seemed perfectly paired. We both looked like we were on our last leg. I had recently left my home church of the last twenty years. I was trying to research churches around Chattanooga before potentially starting a new work in Chattanooga.  But, I had a family crisis in the middle of  my ‘market research’.  The details do not matter to this story but it was bad and I was utterly devastated. I just wanted to go home and lick my wounds.

Tiftonia Church of God had a similar story. The church had been healthy and on the move. Some trouble happened about six months before I walked in the door. Members fled in droves. To make it worse, the pastor was having considerable health issues. On my first Sunday morning at Tiftonia Church of God had the pastor, his wife, the song leader, his wife, and a couple of other people not including myself.

Regardless of its problems, however, the church had three important features: (1) you could feel the Holy Ghost (2) it looked just like my first home church, Union Ave Baptist Church (3) the pastor, James Ford, carried himself just like my first pastor, Lawrence Hicks. James Ford was strong and humble with a huge heart that dwarfed even his massive six foot frame. God might not send me back to my old home Baptist church, but He sent me to the next best thing — a place with almost the same look and feel.

First, I stayed for selfish reasons. I was hurting and needed friends. We talked together. We prayed together. We worshiped God together. God saw me through that hour of darkness using the fellowship of Brother Ford and the good folks of Tiftonia Church of God.

Second, I stayed because of the call of God. Brother Ford’s health was failing and the Lord bound my heart to his work.  I don’t think you can understand what it means without experiencing a call of Aaron and Hur to hold up a man of God’s arms during a rough battle. It’s a call to someone’s mission that bounds you to it.

The church’s biggest problem was its 100% senior membership. This 50+ year-old visiting Assembly of God preacher was the youngest person regularly attending the church.  It broke my heart.  I prayed intensely about it.

But, a miracle happened. Two daughters of a former pastor started bringing carloads full of youth to the church. They came ready to work. They spent their own money and gave days of labor fixing up the youth rooms. That church has a thriving youth department now. Praise God! Brother Ford saw a church full of consistent young people before he left to his reward.

I was able to see myself and that church cross over Jordan from our separate deserts. I know there will be more deserts for me in my life and my ministry. So, I wanted to keep something to remind me that my God saw me and Tiftonia COG through our storms. So, this morning, as I am about ready to leave for my next assignment from the Holy Ghost,  I took a picture on my cell phone of a choir of young people. Their beautiful faces will remind me that my God always makes a way the next time I am discouraged.

— Donnie Bryson

 

Strive for Excellence – Really?

I cringe every time  hear someone use the phrase, “strive for excellence”, when discussing the theatrical components of church services. I don’t know what folks mean when they say it. I don’t even know what I personally understand when I hear it.  Excellence can mean so many different things.

One use of ‘excellence’ highlights mechanical sophistication.  This use judges a  poorly read Shakespearean sonnet to third graders more excellent than a perfectly read rendition of an old “Sally, Dick, and Jane” primer.  I doubt the third graders would agree. But, it has some validity. A piece of art can stand on its own without any consideration of a particular audience’s capacity to understand it. Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring triggered a riot at its first performance. However, it was, and still is, a great piece of art. Bach’s wife sold some of his manuscripts as scrape paper because she, nor his contemporaries, valued his genius. Their ignorance did not flaw a single fugue. Great art isn’t made great art by popular acclamation.

However, we see a tension between sophistication and target audience in the Bible. For example, the new testament was written in Koine Greek which was the written style of the common masses instead of one of the more academic styles, such as Ionic, used by Homer and Herodotus.  Paul even plainly stated that he, “came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

So, although structural sophistication is a form of excellence, we cannot use it as a goal for church theatrics. I am not saying that all theatrics in church should be simple to the point of stupidity. There is a place in the harvest field for men like C. S. Lewis, Victor Hugo, G. K. Chesterton, J. S. Back, Soren Kierkegard, George Herbert, and Frederic Hart.  Some need the intellectual stimulation of thoughtful seed but the masses only miss the pearl of great price if it is wrapped in a pretentious package. Go ye unto ALL the world. That is why it is fine that most sermons are on an eighth grade level and wall music is below most pop music standards. Most services should target the lowest common denominator.

So what do we mean by excellence? Many confuse accuracy and excellence. They mean they are striving to sing on pitch, quote scripture correctly, and use proper grammar. That is a good goal and we could build a biblical argument for it. “And if there be any blemish therein, as if it be lame, or blind, or have any ill blemish, thou shalt not sacrifice it unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 15:21). However, many good commentaries discuss the relative quality of the greek grammar of books in the new testament. The amanuenses, the scribes taking dictation from the apostles, had varying grammatical skill. Some of the books even contain obvious grammatical errors.  Thus, accuracy, while a good goal, is not the mark we need to hit.

Can we say a perfect reading of “Sally, Dick, and Jane” is more excellent than a sonnet reading that has a stumble? Which would you rather hear after elementary school graduation? Substance matters. Being engaged by the material matters.

Have you ever heard a music box? It sounds mechanical because it is 100% accurate. It has no soul.  In fact, the only pop music I like is slightly flawed. I like Willy Nelson because he is out-of-step and I like Bob Dylan because he is slightly off-key. I hate the bland perfection of American idol contestants because it is mere mindless perfection. I love Van Gogh because his paintings are not a Polaroid.   It is said that, “Art imitates life”  but it shouldn’t be a brainless carbon copy.

I like the ancient Greek concept of Arete. Excellence is intimately bound to purpose and function.  Using that standard to judge excellence in the house of God, we look at the true goal of the activity. A sermon is excellent if the target audience is engaged and understand. Who cares if the Illuminati thought it was brilliant? Music is excellent if the entire congregation is engaged and participating in worship. Who cares if they are entertained with a ‘professional’ performance? The entire assembly should sing to themselves in spiritual songs. That is not an audience. The apostle Paul spoke of building the church with wood, hay, stubble, and gold. Entertainment is stubble. Facilitating a heart of worship in the house of God is eternal gold.

— Donnie Bryson