Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Why all the music critics in church?
Hi, Piro Hernandez!
As you probably know, I serve at a few churches during the week. Just yesterday, as I was running errands, I met someone who regularly attends one of those services I serve at. It was an interesting conversation, because he basically wanted me to change my style of playing.
Under other circumstances I would have asked him what he meant by flow. After all, it could refer to a musical flow (which I know I have) or a spiritual flow (which I believe I have). However, I felt there was no need to find out more, because I wasn't going to change my style of playing.
By now I suspected that he meant to play more spontaneously, to use Pastor's exhortation time as an opportunity to display whatever musical chops I have. Whatever he meant didn't really matter, because I already had instructions from the Pastor. And I'm not going to change stuff like that without checking with the Pastor first.
But why would I need to check with the Pastor anyway? He's got a lot on his plate, and he already has the habit of telling me whatever he wanted me to know. Bugging him about trivia like that is implying his instructions weren't clear enough, or that he didn't know what he was doing. No thanks!
So I took the easy way out.
Err, wait a minute. He's not a musician, but he has been in ministry even longer than I have. Am I to believe that during all that time, having ministered in many different churches around the world, he hasn't come across different styles of music and he doesn't know what type works best for him?
He could see I was not convinced.
I haven't listened to the worship team from mega-church B, but I did know that mega-church A had a team of immature musicians, who were professional only in the sense that they were being paid, not in terms of their musicality. Those musicians tended to overplay and get in each other's way, and overall the sound would be too cluttered to let the congregation sing their hearts out. So the congregation would spend most of the worship time standing there and watching the show up on the stage.
You can guess that I was less than impressed by his name dropping. I wanted to tell him "So it's YOUR fault that band is so lousy? No wonder..." but I knew God wouldn't approve of me being THAT direct. So I switched back to my one and only argument.
OK, this was going too far. One problem that has plagued many charismatic churches - some people think they hear from God better than the pastor does, and they don't want to discuss things with the pastor first. They deliberately choose to ignore or disobey the pastor's instructions on a specific matter. Those people then expect God to vindicate their disobedience by blessing them with obviously supernatural fruit, so the pastor has to swallow his pride and admit they were right all along.
Hear this from me - no good will ever come out of doing this. Either get the agreement of your church pastor, submit to his instructions or leave to find another church. By this time I already realized that this person was NOT worth listening to. He may have music knowledge, but his understanding of the things of God was very lacking.
So I brought up the only topic that seemed to bug him, the pastor.
God is my witness, he was THAT inane, thinking that playing solo piano accompaniment for worship was to be done the same way as playing for some show at Berklee. If other Berklee grads are like him, Berklee ought to get me to teach Musicianship 101. The fellow went back to his mantra of the day.
I guess he really had no answer, so he started getting personal.
By this time I guess he had enough. So he walked off. I wasn't too smart yesterday morning, it took me so long to figure out how to drive him away - keeping mentioning the Pastor! It was like showing a cross to a vampire, it might take a while but it will work in the end. Now I know what to say to him the next time we meet at the service...
The Point Is...
As you can tell from my previous posts, I can be very dogmatic. When I have the authority to tell musicians what to do, I fully expect them to follow my instructions. I don't want them changing things behind my back or without checking with me first.
And because I believe in treating people the same way I want to be treated (Matt 7:12), this is also how I follow instructions from my leaders as well. Don't expect me to try out suggestions and ideas from other people without checking with my church leaders first.
If you find yourself in the same place I was, with someone trying his or her best to get you to disobey clear instructions from your church leader or pastor, you may also find it helpful to do what I did - suggest that THEY themselves go discuss with the pastor or leader themselves. If they are sincere and have nothing to hide, they would be more than happy to.
But if the suggestion only seems to frustrate them into insulting you or arguing with you, you know they have an agenda and something to hide. Don't let yourself be manipulated by such people, OK?
Be blessed, Piro Hernandez!
Junjie Huang
Worship Trainer
www.invisibleworshipmusician.com
As you probably know, I serve at a few churches during the week. Just yesterday, as I was running errands, I met someone who regularly attends one of those services I serve at. It was an interesting conversation, because he basically wanted me to change my style of playing.
Him: "the way you play when Pastor leads the people in prayer after preaching, very stagnant. No flow. You must flow..."
Under other circumstances I would have asked him what he meant by flow. After all, it could refer to a musical flow (which I know I have) or a spiritual flow (which I believe I have). However, I felt there was no need to find out more, because I wasn't going to change my style of playing.
Me: "I'm playing the way Pastor wants me to play. He told me to play this way, so that is how I am going to play."
Him: "I've known Pastor for a long time already. And I've been playing for 40 years. I went to Berklee (a famous college for contemporary and jazz music). You cannot play like that, you must flow..."
By now I suspected that he meant to play more spontaneously, to use Pastor's exhortation time as an opportunity to display whatever musical chops I have. Whatever he meant didn't really matter, because I already had instructions from the Pastor. And I'm not going to change stuff like that without checking with the Pastor first.
But why would I need to check with the Pastor anyway? He's got a lot on his plate, and he already has the habit of telling me whatever he wanted me to know. Bugging him about trivia like that is implying his instructions weren't clear enough, or that he didn't know what he was doing. No thanks!
So I took the easy way out.
Me: "Since you say you have known Pastor for some time, how about YOU talk to him about it? I'll just do what he tells me..."
Him: "Cannot, he's not a musician so he won't know. You must change it yourself."
Err, wait a minute. He's not a musician, but he has been in ministry even longer than I have. Am I to believe that during all that time, having ministered in many different churches around the world, he hasn't come across different styles of music and he doesn't know what type works best for him?
He could see I was not convinced.
Him: "Do you know (mega-church A) and (mega-church B)? I trained their musicians. You think I can only play one instrument? I can play more than one instrument! When I tell the chief musician (of the church I am serving at) to flow, he does it. Even the other guy, who played for the service when you were not there, flows better than you..."
I haven't listened to the worship team from mega-church B, but I did know that mega-church A had a team of immature musicians, who were professional only in the sense that they were being paid, not in terms of their musicality. Those musicians tended to overplay and get in each other's way, and overall the sound would be too cluttered to let the congregation sing their hearts out. So the congregation would spend most of the worship time standing there and watching the show up on the stage.
You can guess that I was less than impressed by his name dropping. I wanted to tell him "So it's YOUR fault that band is so lousy? No wonder..." but I knew God wouldn't approve of me being THAT direct. So I switched back to my one and only argument.
Me: "OK, so if Pastor thinks the other guy is better, then he can tell me to play like him. So far, Pastor hasn't told me to play like him, so..."
Him: "They can flow. Why can't you? No wonder your playing is so stagnant."
Me:"I've played other ways before, and Pastor has told me he wants it this way, so I am going to play it this way."
Him: "He's not a musician, he won't know. You must change, you must flow, then he will come and tell you that you are correct."
OK, this was going too far. One problem that has plagued many charismatic churches - some people think they hear from God better than the pastor does, and they don't want to discuss things with the pastor first. They deliberately choose to ignore or disobey the pastor's instructions on a specific matter. Those people then expect God to vindicate their disobedience by blessing them with obviously supernatural fruit, so the pastor has to swallow his pride and admit they were right all along.
Hear this from me - no good will ever come out of doing this. Either get the agreement of your church pastor, submit to his instructions or leave to find another church. By this time I already realized that this person was NOT worth listening to. He may have music knowledge, but his understanding of the things of God was very lacking.
So I brought up the only topic that seemed to bug him, the pastor.
Me: "How about this? How about YOU play, then we let Pastor decide?"He didn't like that, so he changed the topic.
Him: "Why, when you play, you don't play there and there (indicating the higher and lower parts of the keyboard), you only play here (indicating the middle)? I might as well chop off the top and bottom parts!"
God is my witness, he was THAT inane, thinking that playing solo piano accompaniment for worship was to be done the same way as playing for some show at Berklee. If other Berklee grads are like him, Berklee ought to get me to teach Musicianship 101. The fellow went back to his mantra of the day.
Him: "You must flow!"
Me: "You can flow?"
Him: "Of course!"
Me: "OK, then you play and show Pastor. We let him decide, OK?"
I guess he really had no answer, so he started getting personal.
Him: "I can flow, but can you follow it or not? Your playing is like sleeping! You ought to humble yourself. Other people can follow what I tell them, why not you?"
Me: "OK, then you play and we let Pastor decide, OK?"
By this time I guess he had enough. So he walked off. I wasn't too smart yesterday morning, it took me so long to figure out how to drive him away - keeping mentioning the Pastor! It was like showing a cross to a vampire, it might take a while but it will work in the end. Now I know what to say to him the next time we meet at the service...
The Point Is...
As you can tell from my previous posts, I can be very dogmatic. When I have the authority to tell musicians what to do, I fully expect them to follow my instructions. I don't want them changing things behind my back or without checking with me first.
And because I believe in treating people the same way I want to be treated (Matt 7:12), this is also how I follow instructions from my leaders as well. Don't expect me to try out suggestions and ideas from other people without checking with my church leaders first.
If you find yourself in the same place I was, with someone trying his or her best to get you to disobey clear instructions from your church leader or pastor, you may also find it helpful to do what I did - suggest that THEY themselves go discuss with the pastor or leader themselves. If they are sincere and have nothing to hide, they would be more than happy to.
But if the suggestion only seems to frustrate them into insulting you or arguing with you, you know they have an agenda and something to hide. Don't let yourself be manipulated by such people, OK?
Be blessed, Piro Hernandez!
Junjie Huang
Worship Trainer
www.invisibleworshipmusician.com
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
God Does Not Miss a Thing
Proverbs 15
A gentle answer turns away anger,
but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
2
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive,
but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.
3
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
observing the wicked and the good.
4
The tongue that heals is a tree of life,
but a devious tongue[g] breaks the spirit.
5
A fool despises his father’s discipline,
but a person who accepts correction is sensible.
6
The house of the righteous has great wealth,
but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked.
7
The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge,
but not so the heart of fools.
8
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9
The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but He loves the one who pursues righteousness.
10
Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.
11
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord—
how much more, human hearts.
12
A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;
he will not consult the wise.
13
A joyful heart makes a face cheerful,
but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.
14
A discerning mind seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15
All the days of the oppressed are miserable,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16
Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure with turmoil.
17
Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened ox with hatred.
18
A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict,
but a man slow to anger calms strife.
19
A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Foolishness brings joy to one without sense,
but a man with understanding walks a straight path.
22
Plans fail when there is no counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23
A man takes joy in giving an answer;[h]
and a timely word—how good that is!
24
For the discerning the path of life leads upward,
so that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
25
The Lord destroys the house of the proud,
but He protects the widow’s territory.
26
The Lord detests the plans of an evil man,
but pleasant words are pure.
27
The one who profits dishonestly troubles his household,
but the one who hates bribes will live.
28
The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering,
but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things.
29
The Lord is far from the wicked,
but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
Bright eyes cheer the heart;
good news strengthens[i] the bones.
31
One who[j] listens to life-giving rebukes
will be at home among the wise.
32
Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.[k]
33
The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches,
and humility comes before honor.
A gentle answer turns away anger,
but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
2
The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive,
but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.
3
The eyes of the Lord are everywhere,
observing the wicked and the good.
4
The tongue that heals is a tree of life,
but a devious tongue[g] breaks the spirit.
5
A fool despises his father’s discipline,
but a person who accepts correction is sensible.
6
The house of the righteous has great wealth,
but trouble accompanies the income of the wicked.
7
The lips of the wise broadcast knowledge,
but not so the heart of fools.
8
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the Lord,
but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
9
The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
but He loves the one who pursues righteousness.
10
Discipline is harsh for the one who leaves the path;
the one who hates correction will die.
11
Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord—
how much more, human hearts.
12
A mocker doesn’t love one who corrects him;
he will not consult the wise.
13
A joyful heart makes a face cheerful,
but a sad heart produces a broken spirit.
14
A discerning mind seeks knowledge,
but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
15
All the days of the oppressed are miserable,
but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
16
Better a little with the fear of the Lord
than great treasure with turmoil.
17
Better a meal of vegetables where there is love
than a fattened ox with hatred.
18
A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict,
but a man slow to anger calms strife.
19
A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.
20
A wise son brings joy to his father,
but a foolish man despises his mother.
21
Foolishness brings joy to one without sense,
but a man with understanding walks a straight path.
22
Plans fail when there is no counsel,
but with many advisers they succeed.
23
A man takes joy in giving an answer;[h]
and a timely word—how good that is!
24
For the discerning the path of life leads upward,
so that he may avoid going down to Sheol.
25
The Lord destroys the house of the proud,
but He protects the widow’s territory.
26
The Lord detests the plans of an evil man,
but pleasant words are pure.
27
The one who profits dishonestly troubles his household,
but the one who hates bribes will live.
28
The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering,
but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things.
29
The Lord is far from the wicked,
but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
30
Bright eyes cheer the heart;
good news strengthens[i] the bones.
31
One who[j] listens to life-giving rebukes
will be at home among the wise.
32
Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.[k]
33
The fear of the Lord is what wisdom teaches,
and humility comes before honor.
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