Music Lesson: Listen

Music necessarily comes from inside of us. We are capable of making music because it resides deep inside our souls somewhere. It is from there that we can then make an audible representation of an inward expression. I am sure scientists could train a monkey to play an instrument (if they haven't already), but the monkey would only be hitting notes… he would only make noise. With that said, true music comes from the same human vein as our emotions, reason, and spirituality. Music is one of those elements that separate us from other mammals.

Why, then, do we musicians spend most of our time making noise rather than fueling the inspiration within ourselves?

Allow me to explain, Dear Reader: Duke Ellington, one of the most profound jazz musicians and writers in modern history, deemed himself as "the greatest listener in the world." That is the philosophy by which musicians should live. My point is, we spend hours sweating in our practice spaces as we slave over sheet music and rudiments while we neglect to simply ingest inspiration. I am very confident that listening is just as important as playing. Our ears are the most important tool we have. We lack the patience to simply sit and listen to what is being played before we eagerly jump in. I don't know about you, but when I hear Duke's music, I continually ask myself, How could anyone come up with this stuff?

After reading about his life and discovering that he drew his inspiration from all over the world, it becomes very clear how he came up with that stuff… he listened. Above all else, he listened. This requires an incredible amount of discipline to sit and ingest, but we must.

As a drummer, keeping time is my ultimate goal. So, sometimes during my practice time I will simply plug in my metronome and listen. I won't play along, I won't come up with rhythms in my head… I'll just listen. I pay attention to the space in between beats. I feel the tempo.

Other times, when I feel the need to be creative, I will put in music of any genre and do nothing else but listen. I'll listen to the drum parts, of course, but it is also important to be aware of what all of the other musicians are doing. Listen for what is "behind" the music, so to speak… for those elements that elicit the given parts. This idea is essential on stage as well. When we become proficient at this concept of listening in the rehearsal space, it will become second nature when we step on stage. When we play live, we must become completely enveloped in what is happening around us. We must shift our focus from ourselves and place it on the other musicians. Only then will we play the appropriate notes, rhythms, and grooves. This is what makes music one of the most beautiful art forms! We are responding to each other's souls. It is a selfLESS process. Amazing!

My advice, Reader, as if you asked for it, is to spend an equal amount of time planting the seeds to your musicianship as you do harvesting. Ingest new music and new ideas in order that you may watch it grow out of you and into your audience so that they may repeat the process.

It is only when we accomplish the art of listening that we can truly perform with greatness.

So, don't hate on me for diggin' Taylor Swift or any other pop artist... it's good music... nuff said.

Approach His Throne: Part III

Okay, so here we are.

At this point we've discussed the idea that we often have a misconception of our role and God's role in our relationship with Him. We also discussed that we must take action. We can't simply wait for God to make the moves, so to speak, for us.

What does that look like? What, on a daily basis, can we do to "reach out" to God?

To answer this question we must distinguish between our role and God's role in our relationship.

Let's start with God's role…

It's rather large… because God is God:

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, our Lord, our Savior, the Sacrificial Lamb. He is the Author and the Finisher, the Great I AM, the Groom. He became sin so that we can have eternal life. He is everywhere and in everything. Without Him, we have nothing. Without Him we've never had anything. Without Him, we will become nothing.

Somewhere in there is His role.

So, what is left for us, then? Well, throughout Jesus' time on the earth, He commanded of us several actions:

*…Ask… seek… and knock… (Matt 7:7)

*…take up your cross… (Matt. 10:38)

*…lose your life… (Matt. 10:41)

*…Enter through the narrow gate… (Matt. 7:13)

*…don't be afraid; just believe… (Mark 5:36)

Just to list a few.

In addition to Jesus' words, the Spirit of God inspired prophets, such as in the book of Isaiah, to exhort commands of us as well:

*…make yourselves clean… stop doing wrong… (Isaiah 1:16)

*… seek justice… (Isaiah 1:17)

*…regard the Lord as holy… (Isaiah 8:13)

*…comfort my people… (Isaiah 40:1)

*…Sing to the Lord… (Isaiah 42:10)

*…Lead out those who have eyes but are blind… (Isaiah 43:8)

*…Do not be afraid… (Isaiah 44:2)

There are many, many more commands within the book of Isaiah and throughout the other books of the prophets. Still, not only did God, through the prophets, command us, but also Jesus' teaching and the Holy Spirit implored the Apostle Paul to command us believers to take action:

*…put on the armor of God… (Eph. 6:10)

*…clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience… (Rom. 13:14, Col. 3:12)

*…Be joyful always… (2 Thes. 5:16)

*…Set your hearts on things above… (Col. 3:1-2, Phil. 4:8)

Of course, Paul wrote innumerable more commands that challenge us all.

My point in all this, Dear Reader, is to consider the idea that we are to take action. The Bible is full of verbs intended for you and me. DC Talk said it best… love is a verb! Our love for God requires initiative. These commands are not directed to God but to us! We must ask, seek, and knock. Again, just to be clear, I am not in any way suggesting that we are saved by good works. I am simply explaining the fact that we cannot lazily lounge like Adam in Michelangelo's painting and expect to somehow become disciplined. One of my favorite bands, Brand New, has a lyric in one of their songs that suggests something Jesus would say of our lackadaisical, apathetic approach toward Him: "I died for you one time, but never again." We mustn't ask God for more. He has died for us. He did it all. He has finished it. All we need to do is surrender.

Therefore, this negates the need for prayers such as, Lord, help me to take initiative to tell others about you... or, Give me patience and kindness and gentleness towards that guy. I feel like these sorts of requests exemplify the laziness and passivity that can lead to a hardened heart. Instead, our prayer should be a declaration at that point as we say, God, I will be patient... I will be kind and gentle to that guy. Asking God to take up my cross is beyond lazy... it's blasphemous. Jesus asked US to take up our own cross and follow Him. It would be as if, when Jesus prompted the rich young man to sell all of his possessions and follow Him (Lk. 10:17-31), the young man's response was "No, Jesus, YOU sell all MY possessions... then, I'll follow you." We mustn't ask God to do the very things He's commanded of us. Patience, kindness and gentleness (as well as all of the other "fruits of the spirit" found in Galations 5) are attributes that we choose to take on. And only when we choose to "meditate day and night" on the law of the Lord and are "like a tree planted by streams of water" will these fruits grow through us by God's power (Ps. 1:2-3). We should not ask God to freely give us the fruits that we, ourselves, must work for. Yes, relationships take work. It takes discipline... or at least the first tip-toe toward Him.

Our role as human beings is selflessness, which leads to submission, and, in its purist form, is a will to approach the throne of God. This humble approach literally and figuratively requires instigation on OUR part. Therefore, let us approach his throne as living sacrifices. Let us call on Him while we are doing our part. So, when do we take our hands off? Well, it looks different in every circumstance. Sometimes we step one inch and God's mighty power takes over. Other times, we must walk aimlessly around for forty days and forty nights. But one thing I know… God will ALWAYS finish the work He first started in us. He will ALWAYS take over where we leave off.

Do not sit back, Dear Reader. Get up. Clothe yourself with Him and walk.

Approach His Throne: Part II

I was sitting in a coffee shop in Denver, Colorado one evening not too long ago and hanging on the dimly lit wall on my left was a replica of Michelangelo’s painting of the Sistine Chapel. What a beautiful work of art! It was the segment in which God is reaching out to Adam. We’ve all seen it… Adam sits comfortably sort of casually laying out naked on what seems to be a grassy hill. The God of creation is stretching his entire body to reach Adam. In fact, His faithful angels seem to be holding him back lest he falls. Adam, however, has his arm lazily perched on his knee. His index finger is bent, his body almost sprawled out. The look on his face is one of apathy, of contentment, of comfort.

I saw the painting in a way that I had never seen it before. For some reason it just struck me. In my head, I began to morph Adam’s face to look like mine… yours… the rude old lady at the grocery store… Mother Theresa… the Apostle Paul… Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You see, all of humanity echoes Adam’s pride… his fervency to please himself. For, “we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

It makes us wonder, Does Adam even want to be with God?

As I was sitting in that coffee shop, I just began to ache. Who am I? What have I been doing my whole life? God has stretched Himself out as much as He is willing to… not just to the point of exhaustion, but to the point of death… just to reach me. All the while, I’ve simply been lackadaisically lounging toward God… rather than lunging toward Him. I’ve been concerned about my comfort first and foremost. We all share this curse with Adam.

The good news is, God still stretches out to meet us! He wants us… He loves us.

I left the coffee shop that evening with a mental image of Michelangelo’s painting etched in my brain. I could not stop thinking about it. The question that kept rapping my mind was Why doesn’t God simply grab Adam? This question has not only puzzled those of us in the Church, but it has also become the thesis for many atheists. Why doesn’t God, if He is an omniscient and omnipotent god, why doesn’t He stretch out His all powerful arms and take hold of Adam? Why must he wait for Adam to reach out on his own?

Marriage provides a wonderful illustration that gives us the answer to all of these questions. I will answer this question as Jesus would… with another question: What kind of husband wants his wife to be mechanically, purposefully engineered to love him? Not a good one. Instead, a good husband would want his wife to be personally, intimately, and passionately in love with him. This pure love results in servitude… selfless, loving servitude.

The Church is the bride of Christ. God loves the Church as a groom loves his bride. God wants for His bride to be in love with Him enough to serve Him. He does not want to force us into submission or coerce us into slavery. For the very essence of love is one giving his desires to do the will of another. That is love. God is Love. God gave us a brain and with that brain we have the ability to make choices. We can choose to be with Him, to serve Him, to have and to hold Him for richer or poorer. Or we can choose to disown Him and do what we want to do. This is the blessing and curse of free will.

Therefore, we have to take action. It takes no faith to want to do something, but it takes much faith to do it. If we decide to ingest Christ’s blood, we must reach out to Him. We must do our part in this relationship. We, as believers, must do what it takes to meet our Savior. He will not come one hundred percent of the way… He loves us too much. He may come 99.9999% of the way, but he desires for us to desire Him enough to meet Him.

To be continued…

Approach His Throne: Part I

Every sound echoed in the gymnasium of my church. It was brightly lit and there was always the smell of a potluck that seemed to complement the orange carpeted floors. It was the arena for boxcar racing tournaments, basketball games, over-nighters, and any other event that was too big or messy for the cave-like sanctuary. It sat at the bottom of a long staircase that extended from the foyer. This was my home church and it is where I came to find Christ. It was a summer Sunday morning and my Nazarene Sunday-school teacher spoke gentle words of God’s love for us. I don’t quite remember exactly what she said during her short sermon, but in my 7 year old mind something clicked. I discovered a love that I had never felt before. She invited us to the front alters to accept Jesus Christ into our lives. I remember feeling tingly inside as a lump in my throat became larger and larger. My older brother sat next to me and I knew that he was feeling the same. He nudged me with his elbow to suffice it to say, “Let’s go up there.” I followed him to the child-sized alters and we both prayed the prayer of a desperate, soft-hearted child. We asked Jesus Christ to enter into our hearts and to become our Lord and Savior. I cried tears of joy.

I faithfully attended the same mid-sized suburban church with my family in Colorado Springs for my entire adolescence. It goes without saying, church is not a new thing for me. It has been a huge part of my life.

Being a “church kid” does funny things to those of us who have grown up under its supportive wings. We are sharpened by the consistency and receive structure and community, yes; but there are many pit falls from which we should guard our hearts. Over time we can become calloused. We are in danger of becoming numb. Apathy, complacency, boredom and cynicism are the scavengers that taunt us at our gate. Some Christians, though, have the opposite story. They may have found the Lord's saving grace after sixty years of denying Christ. For them church is a newfound revelation, but they deal with some different issues because of their past without it.

There could be an entire book explaining the sociological, psychological, and theological differences between a “church kid” and a kid who grew up on the outside. So I’ll leave that discussion for someone else… perhaps someone more educated. What I want to examine here is one of the issues that we all face as Christians, no matter what our upbringing was. I have witnessed this same issue in new believers and in "church kids" alike:

Sometimes we misconstrue our role and God’s role in our relationship with Him.

That is to say, we often have a misguided approach to His throne. We come to God with prayers that often contradict the words of the Bible. We, as Christians, have a tendency to pray from the wrong place in our hearts. We often pray one-sided prayers. With an unrighteous overdependence on God’s mighty hand, we lazily forget that our relationship with Him requires action on our end. Please do not misunderstand the point, Dear Reader. Our motives are (generally speaking) pure, and our God is indeed capable of ALL things, but we mustn’t ask Him to do the very things He’s commanded of us. This is a problem that can stifle our relationship with Him which leads to a slew of other issues. I want us to be aware of the gravity of this danger. An incorrect and un-Biblical understanding of God can seriously hurt our relationship with Him and I will not allow it.

Here we go.

To be quite honest, Dear Reader, blogging is not something I have wanted to do. I have found myself to be a bit worn out by everyone talking about Twitter, Facebook, and the once legendary MySpace. The cyber-world in which we live can be annoying. However, blogging seems to be an appropriate place for me to share my thoughts, which, believe it or not, I get once in a while. Allow me, if you will, Dear Reader, to explain what this blog is and what it is not.

This blog is NOT a place for me to show people how hip I am. No, this is not an attempt to show friends and family how smart and talented I am. As blogging is becoming more and more of a fad, being a part of a fad has never been something I have been about. The same is true for my decision to start blogging.

This blog IS a place partly for me and partly for you. I feel the need to blog because I sometimes get the itch to write and I've no place to spill it. I feel the need to blog for you, Reader, because I appreciate openness. I remember being in my middle school science class and my teacher said, "There's no such thing as a dumb question because, chances are, there's someone else with the same question." It's from that place in my heart that I am writing this blog... when we're all open with our questions and our struggles and our thoughts, we can all learn from each other. It is beautiful... it's an expression of worship.

So, to sum it up, my motive behind this blog is for myself and for you. I hope you enjoy, Dear Reader. If not, keep in mind that it's for me, too. So, even if no one reads what I have to say, it does me well to have a place to articulate my thoughts. We will all soon find out exactly how consistent I am with this thing. Thanks for reading.

-Kyle Scott