Song Mapping (Worship Training)

I think it's time to share some free tools for worship training. Sometimes our music teams get into a pattern of doing things a certain way without knowing the purposes behind it. We keep using the same methods, even when there are better ones, or when we need to freshen up our old ways of doing things. 

Scheduling regular worship training for each of our ministry teams ensures that we keep trying to improve, we stretch ourselves in creativity and hone our skills so that we can give the very best worship offering to our Father. 

Today's free resource is a chart called a Song Map. This is a tool that you can use during an annual training workshop, or even an extra-long weekday practice when learning a new song. Its purpose is to allow your team to truly listen to a recording of a song and notice minute details about instrumentation, energy, layering of voices and harmonies, etc. It will show you how the artists in the recorded version chose to build the song.

When you finish the process, you will have a spreadsheet that shows you, at a glance, what should be happening in any part of the song. 

You won't want to use this for every new song. It is time-consuming to complete, and seasoned musicians will learn to listen for these things automatically. But especially if you have a team who is still learning their instruments and learning to play together, developing their listening ears is one of the best skills you can give them. 

Immediately after using this, you should notice some more awareness among your musicians about when to play and sing, and it will also allow your leaders/arrangers more ideas about how to craft a song.

How to use a song map

1) PREPARE

Listen on your own to the song recording. As you listen, jot down the order of each section. For example, "Verse 1, Pre-Chorus 1, Chorus 1, Verse 2, Pre-Chorus 1, Chorus 1, Bridge, Bridge, Chorus 2, Tag, Ending"

Prepare the template by typing in the song name and changing the heading for each section, then copying/pasting the lyrics for each section. This enables your team members to easily follow along when it is their turn to listen. 

Print one out for each team member. Use 11x17" paper. If your printer doesn't print this big, I suggest printing them at your local print shop instead of shrinking it to 8.5x11, because else the boxes will be too small to write in. If you have too many sections, consider combining some or using multiple pages. You also do not have to use the entire song to get a good idea for how to build the song. 

2) EXPLAIN

Explain what they are going to do. Give several examples of what you are looking for. For example, "I see that the male singer doesn't come in until verse 2 and the harmony is added in the second chorus. I see that the drums start with a double floor tom on beat 2. I hear the keyboard use more reverb starting on the second chorus. The guitar cuts out during the verses. It only uses downstrums during the bridge."

Tell your team members why you are doing this. "This is to train your ears to listen more, both to the way that others play this song and to the musicians who are playing along with you. In doing this, we can learn to effectively build a song instead of always playing the same thing. Sometimes the difference from one verse to the next comes down to only one small change."

3) LISTEN & WRITE

Play the song recording at least twice. The first time, ask them just to listen and follow along as it plays. The second time, they can start writing stuff down. Give them a moment to finish writing as the song finishes.

Remind people that silence is a very important part of music and they should write in when to stay silent. If someone is not singing or playing in a certain section, that's because it was an intentional choice to leave them out, because whoever was arranging the song thought it would be better with select voices/instruments at that point. 

4) SHARE

After listening, ask each musician or group of musicians (for example, percussionists, singers, etc.) to share what they noticed in each section. 

It is better to go through the song section by section, instead of sharing only one instrument at a time. That ensures that everyone stays attentive and can even build on what each other say. 

5) LISTEN AGAIN

If you have time for a third listen, do it after sharing with the group. After the sharing, they will know exactly what to look for, and they will find more details to fill in.

6) PLAY

After completing the song map, have everyone play through the song together. 

If you are doing this at a large worship training event, and you have multiple musicians for each instrument, you can take turns playing the song together at the end, but make sure you don't weary people by going through the song too many times. Those who aren't on stage can just take notes and learn by listening. 

 

Tips

*You may also wish to use this when arranging a worship song from scratch

*Don't worry if you don't notice everything. You can take it home and listen multiple times, adding more every time you listen. But even with 1-2 listens, you will already hear things which you may be able to incorporate into your playing which will lift the level of the song performance.

*Try to do this with multiple styles of songs, so you can learn. If you don't usually play jazzy or gospel songs, for example, it can be very enlightening to listen and see the choices that the artist makes, and then try to apply some of them in your own worship. 

Here's your free resource: Song Map for Worship Training

Download Word format (.docx)  |  Download Pages format (.pages)

Purpose: To train your musicians to listen and think more deeply about their song arrangements

Audience: Worship Musicians

Feel free to modify this resource in whatever way will help you and your training purposes. 

If the song map works for your team, please drop a comment below and tell me how you used it.

Wash Me Whiter

"Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin... Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." --King David (Psalm 51:7)

Good Friday is always one of my favorite worship services to plan. Since it's in the evening, we don't need to think about time constraints, since often there isn't another congregation using the worship hall after we do. We also have the freedom to get creative, and I try to make Good Friday services more interactive and experiential than a normal Sunday service.

Sometimes we will set up stations of the cross for people to wander through at their own pace; one time I placed a bowl of water in the front of the room for participants to wash their hands as they silently confessed their sins; once we ended our service in utter darkness and mourning, releasing people silently to make their way home and reflect on the darkness of that first evening when Jesus died on the cross. 

This year, I was feeling very heavy and sorrowful after hearing so much about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the starvation of the Afghan people, and other cruelty and pain around the world, and also hearing about some of my dear ones who had recently lost people they loved to death. The weight of death and the terrible effects of the world's sin was on my mind. But any celebration about Good Friday must still end in hope, though the first disciples may have had none. 

Wouldn't it be wonderful, I thought, if you could actually see the healing of your sin? Wouldn't it be meaningful if you experienced the truth of your sins being washed away? I started to research whether there was any way to have people write their confessions on a paper and then have the paper literally get washed away. 

The short answer... there is! And it's called Paper Solvy, a water-soluable stabilizer. Actually, the original purpose of this paper, and other similar papers, is crafting. You make a craft, printing or drawing a design on the paper, and then sew it onto a fabric, or put it in soap, and when you wash the fabric, the "paper" washes away and your sewn design remains. Genius. 

But for our purposes, it works just as well! During a time of reflection, I invited the congregation to think about the sins they are carrying and write their confession to God. I invited the worship band to play reflective music in the background. After 3-4 minutes, I invited them, if they wished, to bring their confessions and place them in the basin of water in the middle of the room. I didn't tell them what would happen, I just asked them to come. During two of our services, it took awhile for anyone to come forward, but eventually, they did come, first one or two, and then a stream of people. 

With amazement, they watched as the folded piece of paper they placed in the water start to come apart, the letters seeming to float off the paper. And then, as they swirled the water, the entire paper and its contents vanished before their eyes! 

Here's how we did it:

1. What You Need: 

• 1 sheet of Paper Solvy for every four people (give everyone a quarter sheet). Each package contains 12 sheets.
• Blue or black pens (but any kind of pens, pencils or markers should work)
• A table (If you have a large congregation, set up multiple stations. One table should be enough for 50-60 people). 
• A basin for water. I wanted to allow multiple people to do the activity at the same time, so I used an under-bed storage bin.  
• 2 large buckets
• 1 small bucket or pitcher
• A fine-mesh soup skimmer
• A towel for each station
• 4 large popsicle sticks
• 2 people to sit close by and keep the station clean, skim the water as needed and clear the station after the evening is done

2. Setup: 

• Set up the stations with a table, tablecloth, basin, buckets and skimmer
• Fill the basin with water and place the popsicle sticks on the table around it
• Place the quarter-sheets and pens on each chair or give them out at the door
• If you choose to dim the lights during the service, make sure they are bright enough over the seating area so that people can see to write.

3. Explain: During the service, announce that there will be a time for confession and that people can write their confession on a piece of paper. Depending on how comfortable your group is, they may readily do this activity, or it may take awhile for them to come forward. If you really want to help them be more comfortable, you could have them seated at tables. I placed tables around the room for people to use, but no one actually used them; they just remained in their seats to write. 

During the evening, we also included a time for spoken prayers as well as a message and songs around the theme of Isaiah 63:4-5. Check out the worship flow: 

Overall, it was a beautiful and meaningful way to remember Christ's redeeming work which washes away our sin. Sometimes an activity can be very simple yet have great impact for our understanding. May this activity also bless the hearts of your congregation too!

The Pilgrimage

 

Retreating with God

I think it was in seminary that I first developed a love for praying outdoors. During an assignment for one of my seminary classes with my favorite professor, Dr. Steve Korch, I had to scout locations for a prayer retreat. It was a new thing for me to set aside a place that was "ordinary" and yet sacred in some way, to remove myself from distractions, walk slowly and listen for God's voice.

One of the first locations where I started to walk and pray was the beautiful chapel and grounds at Santa Clara University, a Jesuit school. I remember traversing the covered pathways under the creeping vines, thinking about God talking to the saints whose images were all around me, and who had taken walks just like me, asking for God's presence and words of truth. 

The most memorable prayer retreat came some years later. I had just quit my job at the church where I was the worship director and though I knew I was supposed to move on, I didn't have a clue what was next for me, or even what direction I was supposed to go. I had applied to a few other churches, but wasn't getting very far in the interview process. I felt very lost, and sorely in need of direction. 

And that’s when I took a one-day pilgrimage by myself to a little remote retreat site in the Santa Cruz mountains, dedicated to those seeking God in prayer. It is such a simple place and yet, every time I go there, God condescends to meet with me.

An Unexpected Answer

That day, I heard from God. I had spent the day following little paths, sitting still, studying the Bible, and gazing all around me at trees, birds and flowers. I had repeatedly asked God what was next for me, where I should I work, what I should do? Big church, small church, Chinese church, American church, Hispanic church? Which denomination? And which role? If only He would give me a lead, I had told him, I would gladly follow it. 

I remember watching a small sparrow hopping on the ground, picking up bits and pieces, here and there. I had just been reading and studying Matthew 6, where Jesus tells the people listening on the hillside not to worry about what they will eat or drink, because the Lord God Himself would provide for them. As I watched that tiny sparrow, I heard from Him. "You are like this sparrow," He said. "You will not have a job for some time. But I will provide for you. I will give you things that you are supposed to do. Just rely on me" That was hard to hear. But I never doubted that it was the word from God, because I had asked Him for His direction, and I hadn’t been expecting to hear that reply. It wasn’t anything that I could have made up in my head. It was directly from Him. 

At the end of the day, I went back to my life, literally going "down the mountain." In His Word, God often uses mountain-tops as places where someone can be "closer" to God. Moses went up a mountain to talk with God. Elijah met God on a mountain. Jesus climbed a mountain... and was revealed in splendor to his companions.

When I went back down the mountain, I treasured this word from God, and I looked carefully to see whether God would do what he had said. God was true to his word. He did provide things for me to do during the next six months: even without a paid job, I was led to specific people he wanted to me to mentor and spend time with, and though I didn't get called back by the churches I applied to, I was filled with peace and contentment. I knew that God was providing, in his own way and time. Every time I was tempted to doubt whether it had been the right thing to quit my job, or to wonder when I would ever make money again, He reminded me that this was his leading and he would provide for me, just like that sparrow. 

Since that time, not only has God always provided, but he also has reminded me of a need to quietly retreat away from my regular surroundings, away from the distractions and a normal every day way of reasoning that I have. 

The Pilgrimage Material

In a new environment, we can often be more open to God and hear from him more clearly. That’s why I created this devotional material, called The Pilgrimage. 

I invite you, too, to get away from your normal surroundings, to  I pray that as you focus on hearing from God, His Holy Spirit will let you know what purpose God has for your life.

What: Material for one day's quiet retreat. It can also be spread out over two days. 

Who: This is a solo retreat, designed to be done by one person alone.

When: The recommended timing is during the Lent season, before Good Friday. 

Where: Away from normal surroundings; find a place outside in nature that is secluded, beautiful, and free from distraction. If you are unable to go to a public space, you can also use it in your backyard or just find a quiet, comfortable chair.

How: Research a location or locations, including planning what to eat for a meal. Print and bind the devotional material into a booklet. Take a pencil and a mobile device to scan the QR code. 

Download The Pilgrimage here:   

• English
• 中文繁體
• 中文简体

More Details: The material is divided into three stations, following Jesus through three separate locations. When following the material, you will pick three different locations to spend with God. After finishing each location's material, you will either drive or walk to another location. 

• The first location is called The Hill. The reading and reflection questions remind us of God's provision in all things. 
• The second station is called The Garden. The setting is that long Thursday night before Jesus was crucified; that night he was spending time with his disciples in the garden, giving them poignant last words that he wants them to remember. 
• The third station is called The Cross. It was originally written to be done at a church location beside a big cross and a fire pit. If your location doesn't have a big cross, it could be done sitting or kneeling in any quiet place, preferably at night.

Usage Rights: 

Feel free to modify the details of The Pilgrimage to suit your audience, but you do not have permission to change the reflection questions or redistribute or sell this material as your own creation. I pray that this free resource is helpful for your faith community and also for your own relationship with God. 

If you appreciated this resource, please comment below and let us know how you used it!

Free Worship Resources

It's been a long time since I posted anything. In the last four years, I have had a second child, taken on the title of Worship Minister, and, just like you, lived through a global pandemic. 😒

But recently, God brought this blog to mind again and given me a new vision for it. "Mondays Off" has always been a window into my heart as a minister; since I work on Sundays, I get Mondays off work. But now I would like it to have another purpose too. 

If you're like me, a few months (or even days!) before special occasions like Lent and Advent, you start looking online for resources. Surely, you think, someone out there must have made something beautiful and creative that can be used for FREE by a small church (with a few basic modifications). But it's not always easy to find these kind of resources, and often they are created more for fun or tradition, than actually helpful in leading a congregation to worship.

So, from here, I expect to share what resources I have found and created, for the help of worship ministers  everywhere. (And also for parents, as you look for creative ways to celebrate Jesus and the church year along with your kids.)

The Land of the Rising Sun

Some memories from 14 days spent by myself in the Land of the Rising Sun:

Japan is a beautiful land, full of lovely, heartfelt people. I stayed in an AirBnb in Tama-shi, West Tokyo, about 45-60 minutes from the busy Shinjuku station. It was part of my sabbatical (2 months graciously given me by Southbay as a time for rest and spiritual recharging). I had a few plans made ahead of time, but mostly I just wanted to be open to learning and where God would lead me. I was hoping to that God would be teaching me about Himself and what He is doing in Japan.

Spring in Japan is all about Sakura (cherry blossom) season. These beautiful blossoms represent not only a season but also the heart of the people. During the short sakura season, you find it everywhere. Everyone is talking about them and what stage they are at, every store is selling something made with sakura, and they decorate every train station or main attraction. And they truly are “sugoi” (incredible) when they are in full-bloom. I got to experience Hanami (picnicking under the sakura) and an afternoon walking tour around the neighborhood and down by the river with my AirBnb hosts under the shade of these ethereal blossoms.

Later, we spent some time in a park (famous location from Whisper of the Heart, screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki) with the wind blowing the blossoms all around us.

Famous location of the library from Whisper of the Heart

Hanami with Satoshi-san and Hitomi-san

Besides that, here are some other memories that I will cherish:

• Sitting at my low table listening to the 5:00pm "Go home, children" music that they play everyday, while studying Japanese and playing ukulele 
• Eating lunch with a graduate who found God in college, and hearing her speak of the beautiful story He has woven in her life 
• Foot-bathing (ashiyu) at Kosatsu Hot Springs (a famous onsen supposed to cure every sickness but love sickness!) 

Famous Kosatsu Onsen

• Eating home-cooked kakina (“the taste of spring”) with Moeka and smelling the sunny spring air through the open door at her family’s office 
• Stopping under the glorious sakura garden in the mountains next to a train embankment over a rushing stream 

With Moeka and her mother in the sakura park

• The sakura “snowing” (hanafubuki) all around me after church on Easter Sunday 

A rare whole blossom fallen amid the "snow" 

• Long rambles and chasing the sunset in Tama-shi (I never got a full view of it) 

The Parthenon in Tama Center

• Buying my first ice cream and communicating in half-Japanese, half-English with the convenience store cashier

And here are a few more pictures:

Dinner at an old-style soba restaurant

My first taste of oden

Stirring the waters (Yumomi) at Kosatsu

Jamming to "Country Roads" at the home of Satoshi-san and Hitomi-san

Night-time sakura (yozakura) down by Keiō Tama-Center station 

Speaking Japanese:
I studied Japanese before I left, and everyday during those two weeks, but found it really hard to actually use what I’d learned beyond a super basic level. Here are the words I actually used daily:

• Excuse me 
• Thank you 
• Do you speak English? 
• Can I use a credit card? 
• Do you have __________? 
• Where is _________?

The hardest things were:

• Being lonely for my family and remembering that God is caring for them so I don't need to worry 
• Understanding supermarkets 
• Being scared of running out of battery (phone or wifi) when far from my apartment 
• Finding an unobstructed view of the sunset 
• Not being able to eat anywhere I want when I’m starving (Japanese people sit down to eat, and don't eat on public transportation. Sometimes finding a bench is harder than you would think!)

Along with those, here are some other things I learned about:

• Caffeine free (カフェインゼロ) tea 
• Hamburg 
• How to use sumimasen (すみません) for everything (excuse me, sorry, thank you, I’m ready to order) 
• Proper train etiquette (This is totally a thing; they even have pamphlets in the airport express explaining this) 
• That lots of people don’t speak English at all (esp out of central Tokyo) so I had to be really brave and make a fool of myself lots of times 
• What cashiers are saying to when you try to pay? (Do you have a point card? Do you want a bag? One payment or two? Do you need chopsticks?) 
• I can get tired of convenience store onigiri! (I actually craved Chinese food) 
• How happy I can be to see a Seven Eleven

Overall, it was really a journey of self-discovery as much as God-discovery. I was reminded who I am and what I love doing, as opposed to what I mostly do for others. 2 weeks of not forcing myself to get up for others and cook, clean or run errands for others, and mostly feeling the permission to do things on my own schedule were wonderful. But I also was reminded of the gift of my family that God has given me, and the stage of life that I’m in now. Thank God for his gift, and for showing me how and where He is working in Japan.

Rats in the Cellar

Awhile ago, I subscribed to get a daily devotional email from Bible Gateway. I'm not very good with reading daily emails (although I get far too many "dailies" in my junk email inbox from Cost Plus, Max Studio, and Joanne's Fabrics, just to name a few).

But the C.S. Lewis one is different. Almost every day, I feel a sense of excitement and anticipation when I open this email. His words, whether quotes from the beloved Narnia series, words of wisdom from Mere Christianity, or his heartfelt musings on pain after the death of his wife, all challenge and renew my faith.

Here's my email from a few days ago:

"We begin to notice, besides our particular sinful acts, our sinfulness; begin to be alarmed not only about what we do, but about what we are. This may sound rather difficult, so I will try to make it clear from my own case. When I come to my evening prayers and try to reckon up the sins of the day, nine times out of ten the most obvious one is some sin against charity; I have sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed. And the excuse that immediately springs to my mind is that the provocation was so sudden and unexpected; I was caught off my guard, I had not time to collect myself. Now that may be an extenuating circumstance as regards those particular acts: they would obviously be worse if they had been deliberate and premeditated. On the other hand, surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in a cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am. The rats are always there in the cellar, but if you go in shouting and noisily they will have taken cover before you switch on the light." ~ C.S. Lewis (from Mere Christianity)

Growing up, I had a fairly high opinion of myself. I knew I was a Christian, and I also knew that I was free of some of the more obviously egregious (to teenagers) sins such as murder, pre-marital sex and drug use. In my eyes, this made me pretty good with God. Sure, when friends asked, "You're so good, you don't have any sins," I would modestly explain that I still struggled with pride, gossip or fights with my parents, but even I didn't really believe those sins were that bad. (Nor was I struggling that hard.) In fact, in high school, I adopted the nickname "Angelchild" that one of my friends had given me, and continued to take pride in how pure and like and angel I was.

It's funny growing up in the church. I think that many who come to know Christ later in life have a more realistic view of just how terribly depraved we all really are without Jesus. But for those of us who grew up basically following the rules, we may not get a true picture of the blackness of sin until we grow older - and then only if we are truly honest and allow God to reveal it to us. As the years have passed, I have seen myself more and more 'in the light' - I've realized how often I have "sulked or snapped or sneered or snubbed or stormed." And, while it might be more comforting to believe that I am safe from the truly terrible sins others struggle with, that in itself is a lie from the enemy, trying to deceive me that I am alright, that I don't really need a Savior.

But those rats keep on hiding in the cellars of our souls. And it is these rats in the cellar (or if you want to be more practical, cockroaches in our church storage room), that really keep me from holiness - not the obvious sins which everyone else would judge me for. The only way to catch and kill the vermin is to continually come to Jesus in honesty and humility and confess my sin. And He will continue the purification process in me which started at my conversion.

No, I'm not an Angelchild. But I am a child of God, and hopefully one day I will look like Him.

How was your day?

How was your day?

Some years ago, I learned the power of these simple words... from one of my youth. I would meet her after school and we'd chat about everything from boys to God. Unlike many of the teens I encounter, she wouldn't just talk about herself, she wanted to know what was going on with me. 

"So, how was your day?" she'd ask conversationally, her arms full of school projects. "By the way, thanks for picking me up."

It was refreshing. A sudden open invitation to say whatever I wanted to about my day and know that someone was listening and interested. And since knowing her, I have used those words many times -- in my marriage, with my youth kids (you usually have to be more specific with them else they will just say "fine") and with friends. I find them amazingly disarming. They imply a level of care that most people are not used to hearing in their busy lives. People are even more willing to open up and share when you follow them up their response with, "Oh yeah, how do you feel about that?"

Try them sometime. You might be surprised how the simple words open up a pathway for friendship and conversation. 

Reflections for the New Year

It's always the same - the year draws to a close, and suddenly, you are conscious of how little you've achieved this year, or how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. For some, there may be a sense of optimism that the new year will turn out differently, but deep down, you wonder if anything will really change. Am I even capable of change? I ask myself frequently, the older I get. 

Actually, I gave up making New Year's Resolutions a long time ago. The last one I can remember was to learn to play gospel keyboard. That must have been nearly 10 years ago, and I know I'm no closer than before. But each year, there are the faint hopes that I will actually use my gym membership, clean out my filing cabinet, take care of those pesky financial decisions I've been putting off... and change my maiden name.

Well, I may have given up on Resolutions, but something I value more and more is the chance to pray and reflect over the past year. I always discover something about myself and God's work in my life. One year, I kept my reflection sheet in my wallet all year, and it helped me stick to the desires I had to improve my relationships whom I had listed.

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to lead our student leadership team in a similar reflection time. It was following the end of a hard school semester and emotions ran high. But having the chance to share hopes and disappointments is a special part of Christian community and the discussion brought us closer.

I'd like to share the reflection questions, in hopes that you too can allow God to speak to you about your past year.

1. Take your time listing out every major memory/experience you had in 2013. (I used my Google planner/Facebook to help me with these)

2. a) What were some themes from your year? Or another way to put it: What did you spend a lot of time thinking about?
b) What actions did you take as a result of these thoughts?

3. a) What is something good you did this year?
b) What is something bad you did this year? ("good" and "bad" are subjective, not moral or legal terms)

4. What relationship in your life would you like to change? What would you like it to look like? What steps do you need to take to help it get there? 

5. a) How have your parents disappointed you? (you could use other family members/spouse instead)
b) How have you disappointed your parents?

6. a) How has God disappointed you?
b) How have you disappointed God?

7. Spend some time to share some of your thoughts with your community and pray for one another. 

Merry Christmas! - Great Joy to All People

Merry Christmas!

It's been good to have a few days off this week. Our music studio is closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and I took some extra days off at church, so I haven't been spending much time with anyone except family.

In fact, I think the only non-family interactions I had with in the last 2 days were service-people from the various stores I visited to shop for last-minute gifts. I always have to think at the end, whether I should say, "Have a good day!" or "Merry Christmas!" I mean, so many people are afraid of not being politically correct (myself included, unfortunately) that I always assume that others will avoid the "C"- word.

Actually, this year, I was pleasantly surprised. Seems like every cashier or worker wished me a Merry Christmas before I even said anything. It heartened me to continue on wishing people Merry Christmas whether they celebrate it or not, because, Christmas IS a big deal, to all, whether they believe that or not.

The angel of the Lord told the shepherds,

"I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, 

the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!"

Luke 2:10-11

Great joy to all people is hard to believe because there are so many people who don't find joy in even the concept of a Christmas which centers on Santa Claus and gift-giving, let alone a Christmas whose real meaning is God coming to earth to save mankind. It's hard to believe even for Christians... our hearts are so jaded and filled with trash during this season: greed for more stuff, materialism, addictions or over-indulgences, frustrations in our family relationships, self-loathing or desire to impress others... 

I've been forgetting to keep Jesus the Savior as my central focus and thus struggling with some of these this week. When that happens, I even lose enjoyment in the good things (like time spent with loved ones, beautiful lights on my tree, and homemade raspberry crumble bars) since I become so obsessed with the "trash". 

Well... there's no secret formula to put things back in perspective. No self-help book, no guru advice needed. All I really need to do is resolutely fix my eyes on Jesus (thereby taking my eyes off the trash), and slowly but surely I get the attitude pick-up that I need. And then the joy in the good things comes back. 

Try taking out the trash with me: turn off the TV, stop complaining or thinking bad thoughts about that family member, put down the extra cookie or beer, bite your tongue before issuing a cutting retort. And instead, we'll spend some time singing a worship song or maybe re-reading a part of the Christmas story in Luke. Combine it with an honest prayer of confession. And in the end, we will find our hearts start to be cleaned from the unrest and all the garbage.

The angel's words "great joy to all people" referred to God's ultimate plan to save the world from sin. But that starts in each of our own lives as we turn to him and ask him for that joy, giving up the dingy and battered hearts which we already own and to which we cling so stubbornly. For us, it might be a constant battle, but deep down, we know that God has already won it for us. Great joy is ours for the taking... we just have to keep reaching to Him for it. 

Advent Day 18 - The Holy Spirit

And the angel answered [Mary], 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, 

and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; 

therefore the child to be born will be called holy -- the Son of God." 

Luke 1:30-35

I've always had a hard time with the Holy Spirit. I don't know anyone, actually, who feels like they fully understand Who the Holy Spirit is, or His power and role. I've prayed on my knees that I could be filled with the Holy Spirit and feel closer to Him... of course I've also prayed many times that I could feel closer to God in general.

This week, I came across a reading written by John Piper for an Advent Devotional book. The book is called Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus and includes thoughts from many noted Christian writers on the coming of Christ. Here's what John Piper has to say about the Holy Spirit:

"[The ministry of the Holy Spirit] is to point away from himself to the wonder of God the Son and God the Father. Being filled with the Spirit means being filled with love for Christ... The Spirit is shy; he is self-effacing. When we look toward him, he steps back and pushes forward Jesus Christ. 

Therefore, in seeking to be filled and empowered by the Spirit we must pursue him indirectly -- we must look to the wonder of Christ. If we look away from Jesus and seek the Spirit and his power directly, we will end up in the mire of our own subjective emotions. The Spirit does not reveal himself. The Spirit reveals Christ. The fullness of the Spirit is the fullness he gives as we gaze on Christ. The power of the Spirit is the power we feel in the presence of Christ. The joy of the Spirit is the joy we feel from the promises of Christ... 

Devote yourself to seeing and feeling the grandeur of the love of God in Jesus Christ and you will be so in harmony with the Holy Spirit that his power will flow mightily in your life. Christian spiritual experience is not a vague religious emotion. It is an emotion with objective content, and the content is Jesus Christ. The shy member of the Trinity does mighty work, but he never puts himself in the limelight. You might say he is the limelight that puts the attributes of God the Father and the person of Christ into sharp relief."

As I read those words, I feel a sense of satisfaction. I have always wondered what it really means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Zechariah and Elizabeth are said to have been filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary was certainly filled with the Holy Spirit. Many references in the Book of Acts reference people being filled with the Spirit. Could we also be filled with Him?

Here the words of Piper clarify it a bit for me... the goal is not just to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but for my focus to be on Christ, by the enabling of the Spirit. And then the power that flows in my life will be the Spirit's power, and God will be able to use me mightily.

This is my prayer for myself and for my community. Let this be a prayer for all of us!

Advent Day 12 - A Faithful Couple

Back in October, my husband and I took a retreat day to go to Prayer Mountain. There we spent separate time praying and listening to God. Towards the end of the day, I was drawn to read Luke 1 - the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

In the time of Herod king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah... his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were upright in the sight of God, 

observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 

But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; 

and they were both well along in years. 

Luke 1:5-7 NIV

Thus starts what sounds like it will be a very heartrending story. An older couple, who, despite their loyal service to God, have not been blessed by children. If we think that is a big deal in this day and age, remember that at this time period it was ten times greater shame not to have a child. It was a huge social taboo; one did not simply make a choice to not have children. Everyone wanted many children -- for that was seen as a blessing from God, and those without children would not be able to pass on their name or possessions. Their legacy would die with them. Just the Bible's mention of this fact already gives us a glimpse into the state of their family pain.

The story goes on to tell how Zechariah is visited by an angel who promises that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and that they should name him John. Zechariah is so astonished that he doubts the angel's word. And as a result, the angel strikes him with muteness until the baby will be born. He stumbles out, making signs that he has seen a vision, and after he finishes his temple service, he goes home to his wife, who, true to prophecy, becomes pregnant.

Let me just say, as a singer with a very sensitive throat, I know how it feels when you can't use your voice for awhile. Many times, I have had to use a pencil and pad to communicate because I had lost my voice or was on "vocal rest" -- not allowed to speak before a concert. (If this surprises you, here's a fun fact: The chanteuse Céline Dion will not speak for an entire day before she has a concert. I don't know how her husband and kids put up with that, since she performs all the time!)

So when I can't speak, I am restricted to writing. It is rather difficult to get into a heated discussion with my husband, because you have to pick your words very wisely when you can only write so fast. As a result, life in our household is pretty calm when I am not able to speak. But I can only imagine going home to a worried spouse, trying to explain why I suddenly can't speak at all -- who knows if it will be permanent -- and on top of that, telling my spouse that she is suddenly pregnant when we have been trying for years to have a baby. What kind of discussion would that be?! (As an aside, it very much surprises me that both Zechariah and his wife could read... or maybe... she couldn't read and he had to rely on sign language.)

In any case, I'm sure 9 months of dumbness will completely change a man, and indeed, an entire relationship.  When the baby was finally born, the relatives asked Elizabeth (of course, because her husband couldn't speak) what the baby should be named. And she said, "He is to be called John." (I wonder whether Zechariah also told her that's what the angel said, or whether an angel appeared to her too?)

And then Zechariah also wrote down that the baby was to be called John. At this sign of his obedience and faith, God removed his muteness, and Zechariah burst out into praise. 

As I read the story of this faithful couple, I am inspired and touched. First, they unswervingly followed and served God, even though their deepest desire remained unfulfilled. Secondly, they supported one another through what must have been a tough period of silence and pregnancy. The Bible doesn't say much about this, but their support of one another shows through their agreement all the way up to the birth of John. Finally, the Luke shows that both of them were filled with the Holy Spirit: In Luke 1:41 Elizabeth prophecies loudly when she greets Mary, pregnant with Jesus. In Luke 1:67, Zechariah also prophesies and praises God. In return for their faithfulness, God not only allows them to be the parents of a very important messenger of the Christ, but he also gives them visions of the glory that is soon to come. 

What area of your life do you need to surrender to God? As I left the retreat-grounds that day, I prayed that my husband and I would be able to become more like this godly couple. I pray that we would be faithful even through great pain and hardship, and that He would allow us to be such an integral part of his plan like John and Elizabeth. 

Advent Day 10 - Jesus' Genealogy

As a child, I loved to visit my grandparents in England. Their house was chock-full of books, and I loved perusing the shelves, looking for a new passion or an old favorite.

The last time I visited, I remember spending some time in the family genealogy book. There were pages and pages of relatives I had only vaguely heard of, but it was very fun and special to look towards the end and find the names that belonged to my brothers and me. Proof that we existed, and that our ancestors too had really lived. But it did really make me wish that I knew more about my ancestors than their names and the dates they lived. What did they think about? What did they feel? Were there any exciting stories from their lives? Did I have any ancestors who were spies? Slaves? Rebels? Kings?

In the first chapter of Matthew, there is a long genealogy of Jesus. It starts with Abraham and goes through Jesus' earthly father, Joseph.

At first glance it seems like a very strange way to start a book. What author, hoping to be widely read, starts his book with a long family tree? Any casual reader who picks up the book (or scroll as it were) would immediate put it down and decide that this was not comfy bedtime reading.

But we are forgetting 1st: the time and world in which Jesus was born, 2nd: the culture and history of the Jewish people, and 3rd: the purpose which Matthew had in writing his account of Jesus' life.

In the first place, when Matthew wrote his gospel, only the very few educated could read and write. The rich (males only) were educated by scribes. Most people heard the Book of the Law only in the synagogues. Additionally, books were very precious. Not only was it hard to find someone who would copy down your book, but pens, ink and papyrus were costly. Circulation of books was limited, and only the very rich would have owned a personal library. Thus, any written document was respected and treasured.

Secondly, the attention of Matthew's audience would immediately have been held by the first few words:

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah 
the son of David, the son of Abraham...

Matthew 1:1 NIV

To the Jewish people, what an important and shocking phrase. In a few short words, Matthew claims, that 1) Jesus is the promised Messiah whom the Jews have been waiting for over hundreds of years, 2) that he is the "son of David" -- meaning that he is of royal blood. David was the Jews' most beloved and powerful king in memory, perhaps a bit like an American claiming to be a direct descendent of George Washington. 3) Finally, he also claims Jesus to be the son of Abraham -- the very father of the Israelite faith. Thus Jesus is claimed as both the heir to the Israelite kingdom and the core of their very spirituality. 

I wouldn't have the time to describe every ancestor on the list, even if I knew about each of them. But I find it ironic that I know more about most of the ancestors of Jesus than I do about my own forefathers. That is because many of them are central figures to the story of the Israelites and the Israelite people's relationship with God. Their stories are written all throughout the Old Testament.

The final reason that Matthew chose to start the story of Jesus with a description of his ancestry is because his Jewish audience would have immediately recognized the stories of their ancestors, the patriarchs and leaders and kings whose stories they had grown up on and whom they had respected all their lives. The mention of so many of their heroes would suddenly bring their history close to them, and help them to realize that Jesus was indeed the promised Messiah, who had been foreshadowed throughout history. They would see all the prophecies about him which had come to pass and realize how amazing God's hand had been to bring about his plan of salvation.

As you look at Jesus' genealogy, whose stories of faith and courage do you remember? What thoughts of encouragement or hope come to your mind? 

Advent Day 9 - The Curse and the Promise

When I was a child, every year part of our pre-Christmas tradition included the reading of Our Christmas Story by Ruth Bell Graham (wife of Billy Graham). Every night in December, we would snuggle up and hear my mom read the next portion of the exciting story. It's been years since I read it now, but  one of the parts that I remember most is the way she relates the Nativity tale everyone knows (Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus) back to the very beginning of Genesis --  where it all began.

I credit this book with beginning my understanding of how God's plan fits all together all throughout time. And how fitting, to go back to the beginning when celebrating Advent.

The story of Genesis starts out with hope as God creates humans as the pinnacle of his breathtaking creation. It is elysium indeed - environs of such beauty, companionship, meaning and love. And most of all, the personal relationship with God the Father and Creator. But all that is destroyed when humans decided to go their own way. And when God finds out, he pronounces the doom laid on man and woman because of what they have done, and the punishment which will befall their tempter, the serpent. Part of the punishment of the serpent, God's enemy, reads:

¹⁵ 

And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
    and you will strike his heel.

Genesis 3:15, NIV

The curse came with a redemptive promise. It is foretold that the offspring of woman will crush the head of serpent, that is, Satan.

Note some interesting things:

1) The enmity is between the serpent and the woman and her offspring. This reference says nothing of the offspring of the man. And that came to pass: Christ was indeed born of a virgin woman -- not of the joint union between a man and a woman. 

2) The serpent would bite, or strike the heel of the offspring, but ultimately, would be crushed/trampled upon. Satan worked a deadly blow to Jesus at Calvary, but was defeated when Jesus rose from the dead. Ultimately, he will be crushed entirely and thrown into the fiery lake. 

In the midst of all the pain of the curse, these few words of Genesis 3:15 don't seem like a very great or significant promise, or even very positive. Yet, as the rest of the Bible shows, God doesn't lay all his cards on the table at once. Bit by bit, He reveals himself to humans through the patriarchs and the prophets. He slowly unwinds his master plan, trying to prepare his followers, and even then, it is too advanced for humans to grasp. Even when Christ directly claims his divinity and impending death, he is not believed by those around him. Yet in hindsight, we can see that God had everything under control all along.

The full "head-crushing" of Satan is yet to come, in an epic battle described between Revelation 19:19 and 20:10. Yet it is reassuring that God's plan of salvation started right from the beginning and that He knows what the end will be.

Have a happy cold and wintry evening!

Advent Day 8 - Joy of Every Longing Heart

A friend asked me today, "How was church?" I thought about it a bit and finally answered that the sermon was very good. But even as I was thinking about it, I realized that didn't really sum up my joyous thoughts about church today. In fact, these snippets of thought ran through my mind -- emotions that are hard to sum up in a text message: the glorious feeling when our worship team hit the right chord for the key change, and also when we belted out the final song ("O Come, O Come Emmanuel") at the celebratory tempo of 106bpm... the satisfaction when we finished service 3 minutes early so that we didn't make the next congregation start late... my confession moment during communion admitting my judgmental attitude to God... the enjoyment of our leadership Sunday school and the camaraderie of the youth counselors. All these thoughts and emotions were rolled up together: joy in worship, joy in community, joy in God.

Joy is a funny thing. You know when you have it, but it's definitely not something you can manufacture or fake. It seems to go hand-in-hand with a deep repose of spirit - the times when I know I have joy are when I'm not striving and fighting to get anything, but I just can relax and see where God takes me. It's a gift that goes along with trust. 

Here's a song from our service today which made me grin from ear to ear (Ah, the swell of music and meaning in the line: "Israel's strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art"). As I read the song now, the last line of the first verse reminds us what Joy is really all about -- it is the fulfillment of that deep desire in each one of us, that emptiness inside that we think will be filled by food, sex, money or love. In reality, the fulfillment, the satisfaction, comes only in Jesus. 

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,

Born to set your people free;

From our fears and sins release us,

Let us find our rest in thee.

Israel's strength and consolation,

Hope of all the earth thou art:

Dear desire of every nation, 

Joy of every longing heart.

Born, your people to deliver,

Born a child, and yet, a king.

Born to reign in us forever,

Now your gracious kingdom bring.

By your own eternal spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By your all sufficient merit

Raise us to your glorious throne.

--Charles Wesley 

May you be blessed with Joy today and fulfillment in Christ.

Advent Day 7 - Promised Messiah

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 

It is written in Isaiah the prophet:

"I will send my messenger ahead of you,

     who will prepare your way" --

"a voice of one calling in the desert, 

    'Prepare the way for The Lord, 

       make straight paths for him.' "

Mark 1:1-3 (New International Version)

I've been having a gloriously relaxing day. It started with sleeping until noon. After making my way out of bed in a leisurely manner, I sat down to catalogue my favorite recipes in the recipe book my brother gave me a year ago. I had to have something listen to, so I made my way through various youTube videos starting with Handel's Messiah and ending up with Elaine Page.

It then occurred to me that perhaps I should start something for dinner, so I cut open the deliciously knobbled kabocha squashes I bought last week at the Berryessa farmers' market, scooped out the seeds, and put them in the oven to soften up. They will probably end up as some form of soup. Yum.

Getting back to Advent. It all starts hundreds of years before Christ, with the prophets sent by God to bring His people back to Him. The prophet Isaiah spoke the second quote: "a voice of one calling in the desert." He was an influential Jewish prophet who ministered in around the years 740-680 BC. His name means "The LORD saves," which can be seen as a summary theme of his prophecies. (The prophet Malachi spoke the first quote; he also foretold the coming of the Jesus).

Isaiah foretold the judgments of the LORD that would fall on Israel for their faithlessness and rebellion. Yet he also reminded them of God's compassion. Isaiah told the people of Israel that God would send them a Savior, a king descended from their Israel's greatest king, David. This Savior, or Messiah, as he would be called, would unite their kingdom and bring not only an end to their oppression at the hands of foreign nations, but also cause Israel to be a blessing to the whole earth. 

Imagine living in Jesus' time, 700 years later. The words of Isaiah the prophet have come true. After years of war and uncertainty, Israel was exiled in Babylon. Though later returned to their land, they are currently subject to the harsh rule of the Roman Empire. The prophecy of a Savior, though remembered, seems far away and unrelated to their current suffering. Yet there is still a distant hope, that God has not forgotten them and will still send his promised Messiah.

And God did remember. Soon His messenger John would come to prepare people's hearts for Jesus the Messiah.

My kabocha is ready. It's time to go make soup. We'll continue tomorrow... 

Advent Day 4 - Waiting

Okay, so I'm late (as usual) starting my Advent observances. I should have started on time on December 1st. But late is better than never. Advent has come to mean so much to me, in the past few years, that I find it more and more important each year to observe this season.

The word Advent means "the coming" or arrival. And what greater arrival than the Christ-child's appearance on Christmas Day so long ago? But somewhat ironically, the period of Advent comes before the Arrival. It is in fact, not about the actual arrival but about the stretch of time spent waiting for Him.

Waiting in our time and culture is not glorified. I watched a recent Colbert Report (Monday, Dec. 2) where he mocked the Amazon Overnight Delivery service. "It takes FOREVER. If I have to wait until tomorrow for my items to arrive, there goes tonight's plans..." he mock-complained. He then went on to describe Amazon's plans to potentially adopt delivery service by drones - that would cut down the delivery time to half an hour. Yes, he was only complaining in jest, but I find I have the same problem - I have no patience with anything that makes me wait. For example...

Mail: Just this Sunday, I was griping because the Advent candles that I ordered 11 days prior (with free shipping of course) had not arrived by Dec. 1 in time to use them for our first Advent service of the year.
Traffic: I hate being stuck behind a slow car and make frequent lane changes.
Family: I get annoyed when I am dressed to go out, and my husband isn't ready yet.
Lines: I pick late nights to go shopping because I know there won't be any queues.

But God, in His infinite wisdom, created the world and then proceeded to endure thousands of years of man's forgetfulness, betrayal and folly, before sending a Savior. He waited patiently for us to remember, for us to turn back to Him. And He is waiting still. Sometimes I wonder why He waited so long when the world was in darkness. Even so, the Christ-child was born at exactly the right time ("But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son" - Galatians 4:4)

Is there something you are waiting for in your life? Do you know why God is keeping you waiting? What does He want you to do with your time while you wait?

Hostess: The first face we see

As part of my job, I design the flow of our worship service, including scheduling everyone involved. One of the very important jobs is person who introduces the service, or in non-church terms, the MC. At Southbay, we call them Hostesses - we've chosen to have mainly women fill this role, since we mostly have men preaching and it's nice to see a variety of faces up there.

Recently, one of our hostesses brought up some good questions which really made me think through the "whys" and "hows" behind hosting. Here are some of my answers to those questions... feel free to add your thoughts.


1. What's the real purpose of hosting for Sunday Worship?

The purpose is to create a clear "flow" so that the congregation and newcomers will understand what is happening next. Also, as a hostess, you are the "face" of the church. Most people feel they cannot relate to a pastor, but they see an ordinary person up there being warm, friendly and welcoming them and they get a feel for how our church is.


2. Are there any techniques you recommend to begin the worship? 

To begin the worship, the purpose of the host should be to gather people's attention and focus it on God (aka "call to worship")

I have seen some different techniques from hosts that I think are helpful in different ways. For example, reading a very short Scriptural "call to worship" (For example, Psalm (95:1, 95:2 or 95:6, Psalm 66:1, etc.)
OR
Relating to some current event (say we are in mourning for something or happy about something)
OR
Relating to today's theme. For example, our current sermon series is on Hope. You could say something like, "Good morning everyone. In this month's sermon series, we have been hearing about the Hope that Jesus gives us. Let's stand and worship Him, and remind our hearts to be hopeful." Something like that.

Just from a Google search, I found an eHowarticle with some helpful tips at the end (from an unnamed eHow contributor):

Greet the congregation with a smile and a confident movement toward worship rather than a bland 'Good morning.' The first words should be more than casual greetings...this is a worship service.

Project your voice with breath support from the diaphragm and speak with a smile.

Raise the arms and turn up the palms in a welcoming gesture during your last sentence of invitation to worship.

Calls to worship are not long affairs. Avoid the long winded introduction.

If you are reading a call to worship avoid the reading voice with its downturned towns and predictable rhythms. Practice reading the call to worship well enough that it lives and breathes.

Don't think you can avoid the call to worship. Whatever is spoken first (outside of song) in a service is the call to worship. So craft it well.

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_5359076_perform-call-worship.html#ixzz2lhv6ybbB


3. What are some ways to welcome newcomers without asking them to stand up to make them feel uncomfortable?

As a background, we don't have newcomers stand up in our congregation. Too often, that makes people feel like there's a lot of unwanted attention. But we do have a greeting time part-way through the service and many hostesses encourage people to talk with those they don't know. 

Also as a host, you can invite newcomers to our post-service snack/mingle time, saying something like, "If you are new this Sunday, we would love to get to know you, and the best time for that is to join us upstairs for food and conversation right after service."

Please feel free to add your own ideas.

Have a great Thanksgiving week!