Category: faith

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Passionate Worship…

How do we know if we are passionate worshipers or if we worship from routine? Is there a way to determine the sincerity of my worship, or is it deep within my soul and only I know whether my worship to God is passionate or not. If we are going to be passionate worshipers for Christ and demonstrate lives that bring glory to God, there are a few things we need to keep in mind. With the scripture as our foundation, let’s consider how we can sing songs of praise that will not only encourage (admonish) one another, but be pleasing in the sight of our God.

As we build a stronger heart for worship, we must first be ‘strengthened with power’, ‘according to the power that works within us.’ Ephesians 3:16, 20. When we desire a fuller understanding of the importance of worship within our lives, we find that the outward display of worship must be derived from deep within our lives. Giving God the leftover pieces of our hearts is as worthy as giving our spouse a kiss after returning from a love affair. Too many ‘worshipers’ give God what they scrape from the surface of their hearts, rather than the depths of their lives.

But what does it mean to ‘give God the depths of your heart?’ It’s actually an easy concept; to give God your heart…or is it? Perhaps it’s more difficult than we might think. The concept of giving God something that is already His is easy. But can I just say ‘my heart belongs to God’ or is there more to it? A closer look at Romans 8 tells us how God should impact the depths of our lives, “However, you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

When we let the Spirit control every aspect of our lives, you find your behavior is different from the world. When God has your heart, your words and actions are unique to godliness. The movies you watch and the jokes you tell (or listen to) are separate from others around you and reflect a Spirit of Christ rather than the world. Ask yourself this simple question, “Is Christ a permanent part of my life, or do I treat Him like a temporary guest?” Galatians 2:20 (a youth camp song from 30 plus years ago) could be your baseline; ‘I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’

So how do you know if your worship is passionate or if it’s routine…perhaps even rehearsed? Christ tells us how we determine if someone is genuine or putting on front when He warns about ‘false prophets’ in Matthew 7. His warning is directed toward false teachers, but it can help us understand the heart as well; “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits…every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.” When we are baptized into Christ and walk the life of a Christian, we come closer to sincere, passionate worship. But realize, it’s not a one and done deal. I must constantly work on keeping my heart right with God. Just because I KNOW what to do, doesn’t mean I’ll always do it. We can have more passion in our worship if we are willing to give Him more than just a song. When we allow the Spirit to dwell in our lives, and live daily for Christ…we’ll begin to understand how we can have passion in our worship!

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He Could Have…But He Didn’t

Undoubtedly you have sung this song as you prepared your mind for communion.  The song that begins… “They bound the hands of Jesus in the garden where He prayed.  They lead Him through the streets in shame.  They spat upon the Savior, so pure and free from sin; they said, ‘Crucify Him,’ He’s to blame.”

The author, Ray Overholt, wrote this song in 1959, and he found his inspiration in the scriptures, Matthew 26:52, 53.  As the soldier’s came in to arrest Christ in the garden He spoke to His disciples and said, ‘Put your sword back into its place…’.  As you read the text you will see that one of the disciples was willing to stand up and fight for the Master.  Peter wasn’t going down without fighting, and in his resolve, he attempted to take off the head of the slave of the high priest.  But the life of the slave, Malchus, was spared (and perhaps changed) as Peter was only able to cut off his ear.  But Jesus is true to form and after telling Peter to put away his sword gives this admonition; “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”

For just a minute think about what Jesus said, “…He (God) will at once put at My (Jesus) disposal more than twelve legions of angels…”.  Did you pick up on that number; twelve legions of angels!  How many angels are we actually talking about?  By definition, a Roman legion would total 6,000 troops.  So consider the math within Christ’s statement; twelve legions is 12 x 6,000.  It doesn’t take much to realize Christ was saying to His disciples (you have to know the Roman soldiers were listening too) that He had an army that totaled MORE than 72,000 troops.  Perhaps a more fitting title for this song (instead of Ten Thousand Angels) would have been, Seventy-two Thousand Angels.  Christ had at His command a Holy army that could have obliterated mankind.  It’s clear to me that the chorus of this song rings true; “…to destroy the world and set Him free.”

But as we consider the vastness of this angelic army, let’s look at an Old Testament account concerning God’s ‘angels in battle.’  In II Samuel chapter 24:1-17, David calls for a census of God’s people.  After the ‘count is taken’, which doesn’t please God, David feels remorse and repents saying;  “I have sinned greatly in what I have done.  But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”  God gives David a choice in his punishment (an interesting study in and of itself) and David chooses three days of pestilence.  The anger of the Lord was demonstrated when He sent a pestilence (an angel) to destroy 70,000 men from among the people; ‘from Dan to Beersheba’.  Did you follow that account?  If ONE angel could destroy 70,000 men; how many men would have fallen if Christ had called “12 legions” of angels?  Some historians estimated that the combined eastern and western Roman Empire during AD 300-400 include no more than 50–60 million people.  (In case you didn’t receive your degree in Mathematics…the fatality number, had Christ called 12 legions of angels, would have been over 5 Billion!)

We must never forget the basis behind this historical account in Matthew 26.  Christ could have walked away from Golgotha’s hill.  He didn’t need a man wielding a sword cutting slaves up one ear at a time.  Christ, the King of Kings, could have saved Himself the insult of soldier’s slapping Him and spitting in His face.  He could have called in the reserves and laid waste to millions, even billions, of human life with His mighty, angelic army. Why didn’t He?  What kept Him from taking mankind out?  To me, the answer is found in the chorus of the song Ten Thousand Angels.  Sing it again and remember why; “…but He died alone, for you and me.”

He Could Have Called THOUSANDS of angels…He could have, but He didn’t.

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Worship…in Song

I love to sing songs of praise to God.  There are some songs that I consider to be my favorites, and I’m sure you have your favorites as well.  Going back, I can’t remember a time when singing hymns weren’t a part of my life.  “The Old Rugged Cross“, “We Praise Thee, O God“, “He is My Everything” have been songs I remember singing from an early age.   When Vicki and I were married (22 years ago), we had “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” as our recessional.  For years we would sing “I Come to the Garden Alone” to our children as they were going to sleep (a practice my grandmother did for me), because there is no better way to close your day then to put into your heart and mind ‘…the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding…’ (Philippians 4:7).

Hymns and spiritual songs are intended to give praise to God.  We should sing in hopes of teaching valuable lessons and stirring the hearts of those who hear.  Singing involves at least three basic elements of our bodies; our hearts, our minds and our voices (lips).  Would that we use all three to bring glory to Him and edification to His people.

Let’s take a look at the blessings we find in singing songs of praise. Since the Lord seeks those who will worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), it is important that we ask ourselves one basic question; “What is God’s will for us as we worship Him in song?”

To learn the truth about Christian worship in song, we must go to the New Testament.  (A study of the Old Testament will show you what God expect under the old law).  Ephesians 5:17-21 states, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation (moral looseness); but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in fear of God.”  In Romans 15:5-9, Paul speaks of the Gentiles glorifying God, and emphasizes how a congregation, together, should be glorifying God.  Notice Paul’s words from this passage in Romans; “…so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…I will give praise to Thee among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Thy name.”

In short, the following are New Testament passages that reference singing praises to God:

Matthew 26:30…Jesus and His disciples after the Lord’s supper

Acts 16:25…Paul and Silas at midnight, in jail with their feet in stocks

Romans 15…Noted above

I Corinthians 14:15 & 26…”I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also…” “What is the outcome then, brethren?  When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.  Let all things be done for edification.”

Ephesians 5:18, 19…Noted above

Colossians 3:16…an emphasis on singing songs that teach and admonish

Hebrews 2:12 & 13:15…quoting Psalm 22 (‘…in the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise.‘) and ‘…let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.‘

James 5:13…a clear call to sing, ‘…Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.”

Each example listed from the New Testament describes worship for the Christian as one that emphasizes verbal communication: singing, speaking, teaching, admonishing, making melody with your hearts, confessing, giving thanks, proclaiming, and the fruit of lips.  Is it just me or do you see a clear call for your heart, mind and voice (fruit of lips) to be the instruments of choice from God.  When we worship, know for certain, your body should be giving God all the praise and all your worship.

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The Fount of Blessing…

How often do we sing songs yet not give the words much thought?  We sing the words, maybe we even have them memorized, but we don’t really think about what we are saying.  Perhaps that happens all too often.  Start considering what you are singing.  Not just in the ‘songs, hymns and spiritual songs’, but in the secular as well.  We are not offering up an acceptable sacrifice of praise (in my opinion) if we don’t know what we are offering up.  If you don’t understand a song or the wording behind it…ask someone.  Begin to search and look more closely at what you’re singing.  Question with boldness, as Thomas Jefferson once said, and find out why you are doing what you’re doing; or what you’re singing and why you are singing it.

Have you ever walked up to an old, dirty water fountain and thought, ‘I’m not going to drink out of this!’  Even if you’re are ‘dying of thirst’, you’re going to avoid a broken, dirty water fountain.  In Jeremiah chapter 3, God is speaking through His prophet Jeremiah and He says to the Israelites; “For My people have…forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters…” (read this whole chapter and see the basis of God’s charge against His people.)  The Israelites (God’s people today) have turned away from the ‘fountain of blessing’ and turned toward their own broken cistern (a cistern is a vessel).  Their cistern is not only broken, it can’t even hold water.  Why would they, we, give up something so good and useful for something that is cheap and ineffective?  How could they be so ignorant?  But then again, are we guilt of doing the same?

Not only does this world ignore and disregard God, many of His people struggle with His commands.  We must remember that; God is our fountain and Christ is the Living Water.  Take time to think about what you are singing, and consider which fountain from which you are drinking.

“O Thou Fountain of every blessing, tune my heart to sing Thy praise…”

“God is the Fountain  whence, 10,000 blessing flow…”

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A Much Better Place

This morning I asked a friend of mine to write an editorial for one of our sisters here at church who passed away this morning.  She was 93 years old and has touched thousands of lives with her smile, her peaceful demeanor and her pen.  My friend (Mike Fairchild) wrote the following memorial:

“This morning my good friend and sister in Christ, Hattie Dumerauf, passed from this life.  Her passing, while sad for those of us left behind, has allowed her to reach her ultimate goal of spending eternity with God.  Hattie is in a much better place.

Little was I to know that over nine years ago a phone call from Dub Harrison, a former Waterview minister, would change my life forever.  He asked me if I would consider picking up a lady on my way to church Sunday morning.  She had recently moved to Richardson, Texas from Davenport, Iowa and wanted to attend services at Waterview Church of Christ.  That first Sunday I drove up, and there was Hattie waiting for me on the front porch with a big smile on her face.  That exact scene was duplicated hundreds of times over the years.  Her big smile and a wave greeted me every Sunday morning…rain or shine.

Our trips down Waterview Drive on Sunday mornings were always filled with conversations about the beautiful trees and flowers that we would see.  Hattie would say that they are gifts from God and how thankful we should be for them.  She loved to watch the squirrels play and listen to the birds singing.  All part of God’s creation.  She loved to talk about how she had been so blessed over the years and how much she looked forward to church on Sunday morning.  She couldn’t wait to see the ‘smile greeters’, as she named them, when we would drive up to the building.  As we would drive home after services, she always talked about Waterview and that we have the nicest, most caring church members she had ever know.

Every Sunday she would pass out her words of encouragement* that she had written the previous week.  She touched so many lives with her written word.  She told me that she wasn’t able to do much, but she felt that her writing was her ministry.  I have hundreds of her notes and will cherish them for the rest of my life.

To sum up my time with Hattie over the years, I would say she had a life well lived, full of the Spirit of God.  I have never known a more Godly woman who cared so much for others.  When I look to my left during church next Sunday, there will be an empty space next to me where Hattie always sat.  But I know she will be looking down and enjoying the service as she did throughout her life.

My Sunday mornings were blessed by my time with Hattie and I will miss her so much… until we meet again.”

Mike Fairchild
Waterview Church of Christ
Richardson, Texas

*Some of these ‘words of encouragement‘ will be posted here during the next few weeks.

 

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Hear Me When I Call…

This morning a friend of mine passed away.  He had lived a long life, but unfortunately had struggled much during these last few months and years.  Without a doubt this gentlemen was an inspiration to me, and not to me alone.  His faithful spirit and gentle demeanor served as an encouragement to all you had the privilege of knowing him.  When I heard of his passing this morning, I cried.  Not because I grieved for his soul, or was unsure of his relationship with God; the tears came because I wasn’t ready to say ‘good bye’.  There were still things I wanted to say to him and memories I wanted to share, but during the early hours on Sunday morning (March 25th), in the warm embrace of his family he slipped away to be with his Father.  Perhaps it’s fitting that he died on a Sunday morning…certainly in time to worship around the Father’s throne.

It’s never easy to say good bye to those you care about; whether it’s the end of a family vacation and everyone has headed home, or if it’s the passing of a loved one who held a special place in your heart.  I guess you’d say I’m a bit sentimental, so ‘Good Byes’ have never easy for me.  And because of my sentimental nature, there are some songs that mean more to me as we consider the message (the words).  A song tends to reach into my heart in a way that the spoken word can’t.  I don’t think it’s the melody alone, but the melody coupled with the words that impacts my emotions like nothing else.  My friend had a favorite songs that was written in the early 1960’s and (though I’ve only come to know it recently), it has since become one of my favorites as well.  Written by Tillit S. Teddlie in 1962, this old hymn is sung as we speak to God asking that He hear us during times of distress and sorrow.  Notice these four verses…

“Hear me when I call, O God, my righteousness;
Unto Thee I come in weakness and distress.
Hold my trembling hand, lest helpless I should fall;
O hear me, Lord, hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer;
More and more I need Thy mercy and Thy care.
Clouds of doubt arise and faith grows weak and small;
O hear me, Lord hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my voice, O God, and cleanse my soul within;
Mercy doth I need for all my doubts and sin.
Only in Thy grace I trust my all in all;
O hear me, Lord, hear me, O hear me when I call.”

“Hear my prayer, O God, I need Thy cleansing power;
Let me feel Thee near each moment of each hour.
Hold my trembling hand, lest helpless I should fall;
O hear me, Lord hear me, O hear me when I call.”

It’s important for me to take this time today and reflect on the impact and friendship I shared with a brother who has gone on.  His smile and kind heart will remain in my memory for years to come.  He has inspired me to be more like Christ; never looking out for his own interest, but always for the interest of others.  The book of this man’s life has come to a close and the final chapter has been written.  He will be missed here on earth, but I know we’ll meet again, because our God does indeed ‘hear us when we call.’  Fred Epps, thank you for the lessons in life that you taught me through your beautiful, Christian example.  And thank you for showing me the kindness of your heart.  You were a wonderful and dear friend!

“Lord hear me, O hear me, Please hear me when I call…”

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Here I am to Worship…Really?

Before we announce that we are coming to worship, perhaps we should first ask ourselves, “What is worship?”  By definition, worship is a mental or spiritual act, a sense of awe and reverence in the presence of the divine.  It is NOT an experience we have in the presence of God, but the act of offering God our best when we are IN His presence.

If we were to look closely at the Greek word for worship, we would find the word proskuneo.  It’s direct meaning is very clear as to what worship is…”throwing oneself on the ground to show respect and awe.”  On Sunday morning, when you meet with the saints and, ‘come to worship’, does it include respect, reverence and awe?  I’m afraid too often we cheapen  our understanding of that simple word ‘awe’ and fail to realize it’s a descriptive term that tells us about our creator.  Rather than holding that term solely for His description, we tell our friends that the movie we saw on Saturday night was ‘awesome’.  How can I compare the Maker of Heaven and earth to a 90 minute, Hollywood production.  Sing “Our God is an Awesome God” and find another description for that movie.

As you consider your personal worship time on Sunday morning or Sunday night…what is your mind thinking about?  How have you prepared yourself for this time in the presence of God.  I have heard many say that they ‘worship’ all the time.  The idea has been adopted to say we should consider our whole lives a worship to God.  Without a doubt, we need to humble ourselves every day and bow before Him with respect and awe.  But we need to understand that worship is an intentional action.  We must prepare ourselves for worship or we run the risk of just ‘going through the motions’.  Are we to ALWAYS have Christ in our lives?  Absolutely!  Paul admonishes us to ‘pray without ceasing’ (I Thessalonians 5:17), but does that mean we are praying all the time?  Of course there are times when we pray and times when our minds are not focused in prayer; but we must always have a prayerful heart.  In the same way, as we live our life in reverence to God, we also work within this worldly realm.  In the world, but not of the world.  Our lives reflect submission to 24/7 though we may not be ‘bowing in worship’.

Let me encourage you to consider this idea of worship by pointing out FOUR basic tenants of our worship.  Number One; worship is internal, it comes from the heart.  Can I worship externally?  Yes, but you cannot properly worship God externally without first worshiping Him internally.  Number Two; worship is intentional.  We can’t come to God and worship Him accidentally.  Remember God’s warning in Matthew 15, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”  What are you thinking about when you come to worship?  Number Three; worship is vertical.  Certainly, during our worship, we encourage the church family around us.  But our giving of praise to God can not be mistaken as self-satisfying.  “I Need Thee Every Hour” is a song that can only be sung to Him!  Number Four; (as noted earlier) worship is momentary.  Our lives are spent in momentary acts, and sense our worship is intentional, we must choose to spend time in worship.

Next time you ‘come to worship’, remember we are to worship in spirit and in truth.  Come before Him and worship in reverence and in awe.

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Verse by Verse…Hallelujah!

For almost 150 years we have been singing this hymn by William P. MacKay…

“We praise Thee, O God, for the Son of Thy love, for Jesus who died and is now gone above,  Hallelujah! Thine the glory, Hallelujah! Amen.  Hallelujah!  Thine the glory; Revive us again.”

I can honestly tell you that this is the first song I can remember hearing sung in church during my earliest years.  The chorus is one that rings in my mind and floats through the ages.  Let’s look at the remaining 4 verses and see the emphasis of the words in this hymn:

“We praise Thee, O God, for Thy Spirit of light, Who has shown us our Savior, and scattered our night…”  The Word of God tells us that Jesus is the light, and in Him is no darkness.  We sing this scripture through this verse…I John 1:5

“All glory and praise to the Lamb that was slain, Who has borne all our sins and has cleansed every stain…”  Nothing is more important for us to sing about, admonish each other with and remind the listener with.  Christ has washed away our sins when we were baptized for the forgiveness of our sins.

“All glory and praise to the God of all grace, Who has bought us and sought us and guided our ways…”  Have you thought about that before?  Christ came to this earth (sought us) and died on the cross for our sins (bought us) and rose from the dead to guide us back to God.  Question is, are we following?

“Revive us again, fill each heart with Thy love.  May each soul be rekindled with fire from above…”  Each of these verses have a specific message and a clear admonish to us.  But they need the glue from the refrain to transition our thoughts and solidify our resolve:

“Hallelujah!  Thine the glory.  Hallelujah! AMEN!  Hallelujah!  Thine the glory.  Revive us again.”  We must never forget the price that was paid (vs. 1 & 3), the security we have in ‘the Light’ (vs. 2), the praise for salvation (vs. 4), and the reminder to come back and hold fast to His love (vs. 5).  “Hallelujah!  Thine (to God be…) the Glory!”

 

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A Song from Sadness

Horatio Spafford was a very successful business man.  His understanding and expertise in real estate and law had set him high above most men in his day.  That was until October, 1871.  On Sunday, October 8th, in the early morning hours, the city of Chicago, Illinois began to burn.  When the flames were finally dosed and the embers began to cool; Horatio Spafford had lost almost all of this wealth.  What made his loss even more difficult was that he had just previously lost his only son at the age of four.  His physician and friend encourage him to get away with his family and spend some days in Europe.  He agreed, but before he could leave, he was called away for some last minute re-zoning issues caused by the Chicago fire.

Horatio sent his wife and four daughters ahead and assured them he would follow shortly.  However, after a week sailing the Atlantic, their vessel, the SS Ville de Havre, struck another ship and sank in just a short time.  Over 200 of her passengers perished in the accident, only 60 had survived.  Once the survivors arrived in Wales, Anna Spafford (Horatio’s wife) sent him this cable; “Saved alone…what shall I do?”  All four of his daughters were lost to the icy Atlantic.  As he rushed to his wife’s side, the ship he sailed on passed near the site of the earlier collision, and Spafford wrote the following words;

“When peace like a river attendth my way, when sorrows like sea billows role.  Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say…’It is well with my soul.’ “

You have most likely sang three of the verses to this song which was originally named, ‘Ville de Havre’ after the doomed vessel.  But Horatio Spafford eventually wrote 5 more verses.  Remembering this terrific lose, you can see his exceptional faith in the words of this hymn written in 1873.  Notice these words and see the faith and trust in this man;

“Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ has regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.”

“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!”

“For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, no pang shall be mine, for in death as in life, Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.”

“But Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait, the sky, not the grave, is our goal; Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord! Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul.”

In difficult times we reach out for comfort.  Thanks to this man of old for encouraging us to stay close and hold fast to the faith we have in our God.  The closing verse and chorus I’m sure you well know…

“And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.  It is well, with my soul…it is well, it is well with my soul!”

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Singers…Good or Not?

When it comes to singing in the Lord’s church, who judges whether someone is a good singer or not?  Should I determine if one voice is better than another?  In February 2000, over 13 years ago, Dan Jenkins wrote an article for the Gospel Advocate that addressed this very topic.  Let’s review some of his timely thoughts on this subject from years gone by…

“I keep hearing some people say that we can really improve our singing in worship if we use microphones to amplify the voices of the best singers in the congregation.  Although at first this might sound like a good idea, everyone should be aware that in (many congregations) this practice has lead to (these ‘singers’ moving to the front row, and then eventually standing up front).  We often are blind(ed by seemly good ideas) when we start down roads that seem innocent.

However, I have been thinking about who the ‘best singers’ are in the church.  I know how we are using the term, but is it possible that God’s view of the best singers might be far different from ours?  Could the following people be ‘the best singers?’

Sitting in the assembly is a lonely widow.  The years have not been kind to her voice, and it often cracks as she sings.  She has served the Lord faithfully for many years.  For more than 40 years she has taught small children in Bible class, and she has seen many of them become leaders in the church.  Her late husband had been a faithful elder who served even better because of her being a godly helpmeet.  She had lifted his burdened spirit (on many occasions).  Listen to her sing – “To Christ be loyal and be true, in noble service prove…”  The melody that comes from her heart (which is important to God) must make her one of the best singers in the church.

In another part of the same auditorium a teenager sits.  He did not grow up in the church and failed music in school.  He comes from a broken home, but OH, how deep his faith is!  He has given up former ungodly friends and stands against the peer pressure that surrounds him.  You may not like (all of his) ‘sour notes,’ but the melody from his soul is so encouraging (to those who ‘listen’) – “O my God, I trust in Thee.  Let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me…”  Is he one of the best singers?

Who else is there?  (Look toward the back of the auditorium and perhaps you’ll see) the wife of an alcoholic husband who is doing all he can to destroy her faith and that of her children.  Listen to her (sing), “Be not dismayed what e’er betide, God will take care of you.”  Those who sing off-key and (seem to be singing) monotone may be our best singers!  Maybe we should take another look at what we are doing (before we had out the mikes and decide if the singers in the Lord’s church are good or not).”

Thanks to Dan Jenkins for his encouragement and reminder that our songs must first and foremost be for the glory of God…and then for edification of the saints.