music

well, this weekend is great.

kar and i are both sick. me, almost over it, and kar, right in the middle of it. which... granted, isn't so great. kindof a bummer how the whole marriage thing results in not one, but two illnesses, without fail, on all occasions.

anyway... spent the whole day painting, and everything but the bedroom is now complete (and the bathroom.. which i'm dreading). spent the evening watching hockey. kar, conversely, spent the evening gloating. because i'm going for the pens, and she's, of course, going for the wings.

note: one time, while driving towards waterloo at 4:30am during exam week, kar asked me a question about the penguins, and their best player, 'cyndy crosby.'

i've been thinking about what else we could do to involve art and expression in church. we sing every sunday because it is our form of cooperative expression. it's the one element in the service in which everyone can get involved and express our thanks and praise. seems valid. i suppose the 'singing' aspect, as upposed to, say, dancing, or writing, or whatever, has been generally praticed due to the fact that it's something everybody can generally do, and that doesn't particularly require any special skill or training. it's sortof the universally practiced and accepted art form.

but WHAT IF there were others...? i mean, what if somebody particularly skilled in engineering and mechanical thinking were to build something, on stage, that represented or lead our thoughts in a particular direction? Or, what if an artist came up front and drew something, on the spot, sketched something that carried meaning. partially, i recognize, these are singular activities, and wouldn't be 'group participation' based. but... there are just so many incredible artistic talents and ideas... let's tap into that!!

let me describe a eureka moment i had along these lines. i've gone to some of these 'summit' conferences with my dad. they're conferences about leadership, in which some of the big movers in american and world coporations, churches, organizations, etc., get together and discuss the skill of leading, influencing, etc. anyway, they always have this thing at Willow Creek, a church outside Chicago. and that church is really pursuing art in all forms, as opposed to just music. they have pastors who focus on growing that side of their ministry. so before one of the sessions, this guy walks up on stage, and they bring out a sort of square table, about 5x5 feet. the top surface is glass, sortof translucent white, with a light shining up on it from underneath. and there's a camera rigged overtop looking straight down on the table. the guy has a bucket of sand beside him. he reaches into the bucket and scoops a bunch of sand onto the table. this is projecting up onto the screens, so on the screen, you just see a white background, and a big black smudge where the sand is. then he starts rearanging the sand with his hands... and suddenly, it's this incredible black and white painting of, ahh, i forget.. the globe or something. anyway, for the next 10 min. or so, he just keeps painting things, and he essentially told the story of creation with just a bucket of sand and a table, and it was absolutely beautiful.

so inspiring. there was no music. nobody singing something like, 'holy lord, you're the author of my salvation..' over G, C, F sharp Minor... just real creativity and talent, and an open mind. it was such a blessing to be a part of.

i'd love to try to do that type of thing in church. i'm going to. maybe not THAT, specifically, but i think we should push for new forms of expression and praise. sometimes i just don't even know what i'm singing in church anymore. but something like this.. i know exactly what i'm thinking and feeling.

i mean... what if, one sunday morning, all of a sudden there were 26 djembes on stage, and somebody was leading the whole audience in making a beat using their hands and their voices and their feet. MANNNNNN.... how much energy would race through THAT sanctuary!! and then maybe the next sunday, we sing again, but this time, it's straight up a cappella, harmony, clean, and open. and the next sunday, a bunch of dramas are done. and the next sunday, a choir sings.. but sings with life, and energy. none of this.. 'stand up straight, lift your books when i give the signal, sit when i give the signal, don't move your heads, don't smile...' i'm talking gospel choir. moving.. flowing with the ENERGY that accompanies the WORDS that they're singing! THAT is LIFE giving.

Granted... all of this requires... talent. and practice. and skill. i suspect that a church like willow is quite agressive in their screening of who does what on stage. because a badly done performance, or an uninspired, inhibited attempt at art, can be, of course, incredibly hard to watch, and can and will completely derail a service's momentum. but that's a GOOD thing. why SHOULDN't people be required to be their best. if you want to lead the group in this for the right reason, then what you'll already want, on your own, is to be at your maximum.. fully on top of your potential. that's where those inspired moments come from.

now.. again.. i understand that there's a lot to be said for the fact that willow is a huge huge church. like... something like 30 000 huge. but you start somewhere.. and i'm starting with the idea, and the mentality. gonna see what i can do to make my next involvement 'of that direction'.

one of the ways i think about it is this: there is a reason why our favorite bands... our favorite artists... the ones who just attract our attention and really draw us in.. are able to do so. why is it? for me... why do i have so much admiration for guys like bono, james taylor, steve bell, etc.? and how do i translate what i like about them, and then infuse it into my own artistic expression towards god?

i think that's a good place to start.

it's their energy. their honesty. their realness, and the genuine openess with which they present their thoughts. it's also their talent, and their pursuit of excellence. if they carry all these things, and apply them to every attempt to express themselves.. than i believe that i can too.

J