Thursday, February 20, 2014

corporate repentance song

Today I attempted to write a corporate song of repentance. Lyrically it's still pretty rough and the meter is weird. The verse has two different sections which are quite different metrically. Then there's the chorus which is different again. Anyway... 

Repentance song

1. Jesus
You are holy
You are righteous
You are true.
Our heads
bow in sorrow
for we haven’t 
followed you

We have claimed your holy name 
But haven’t lived your word.
Cleanse and change us, let our lives bring 
honor to you, Lord.

chorus
Let us be the light that shines into the darkness
Let us cause our world to rise and sing your praise
Let us stand for love and holiness and mercy
Let us no more have to bow our heads in shame
Let us be the church that’s worthy of your name
2. Jesus
Ever patient
Your compassion
Never ends.
Pardon
Our transgressions
Let your people
start again.

Fill our hearts with thankfulness
Let wisdom guide our way
Season all our words with grace

every hour and day

sar 2014

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Three more Easter songs for littlies

These ones are less annoying than the ones I posted yesterday

1. I’m a Little Chicken (Tune: I’m a little teapot - adapted from something I found online somewhere.)

I’m a little chicken ready to hatch
Peck at my shell and scratch scratch scratch
When I crack it open out I’ll peep
Fluff my feathers, cheep cheep cheep

2. Five Easter Buns (finger play almost exactly the same as 'Five Currant Buns')

Five easter buns in the bakers’ shop
round and fat with a cross on the top
along came a boy with a dollar one day
bought an easter bun and took it away

[How many are left? 1-2-3-4!]
Four easter buns...

3. Here is a Bunny (finger play - spoken. We did this in playgroup years ago. Just remembered it. Not sure where it comes from.)

Here is a bunny with ears so funny (make bunny ears out of two fingers bent over on your left hand)
And here is his whole in the ground (make a circle with your thumb and forefinger on your right hand)
When a noise he hears
He pricks up his ears (stand your two fingers up)
And hops into his whole in the ground (make your bunny (left hand) jump into your right hand whole)

Lord You Spoke - draft 3


Here's another draft - with a chorus this time. And I've killed verse 4.

Lord You Spoke

1. Lord you spoke
and light shone in the darkness.
The earth took form,
the stars in their array.
Creation born
in life and love and beauty.
Mighty word, speak to us today

Tune our ears, so we can hear you
Turn our hearts, so we obey
Breathe your power, move and change us,
Mighty Word, speak to us today.

2. Lord you spoke.
Your word brought hope and healing.
The lame could walk,
the blind could see the way.
At your command
the grave released its captives!
Mighty word, speak to us today!

Tune our ears, so we can hear you
Turn our hearts, so we obey
Breathe your power, move and change us,
Mighty Word, speak to us today.


3. Lord you speak.
Your word, a blade within us,
revealing hearts
and calling all who stray.
Proclaiming grace
A pardon for the guilty.
Mighty word, speak to us today!

Tune our ears, so we can hear you
Turn our hearts, so we obey
Breathe your power, move and change us,
Mighty Word, speak to us today.

sar 2014


Lord, You Spoke (draft 2)


Okay. I've collapsed this to 4 verses and made the last line consistent across the verses. I've tried to get a logical progression from God speaking creation to God speaking to us through his written word, but like many doctrinal songs, it feels too static. Maybe this is just the territory. Any thoughts?

Lord, You Spoke

1. Lord you spoke
and light shone in the darkness.
The earth took form,
the stars in their array.
Creation born
in life and love and beauty.
Mighty word, speak to us today!

2. Lord you spoke.
Your word brought hope and healing.
The lame could walk,
the blind could see the way.
At your command
the grave released its captives!
Mighty word, speak to us today!

3. Lord you spoke.
Your word, a blade within us,
revealing hearts
and calling all who stray.
Proclaiming grace
A pardon for the guilty.
Mighty word, speak to us today!

4. Lord you speak
so give us ears to hear you!
Renew our minds
and drive our doubts away.
Breathe out your power
and strengthen us to follow.
Mighty word, speak to us today!

sar 2014

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

If songs could be weighed...

... these would be very light.

Easter bonnet parades motivate the writing of some of the most vacuous of all children's songs. Last year at our easter parade we had a particularly fine selection, including Yankee Doodle Bunny.

This year I'm writing a set of easter songs, ranging from semi-inane to completely inane, that prep teachers could potentially use with their classes. At our easter bonnet parade, each prep class presents an item (there are 7 prep classes) then I conduct the whole group as a choir for a couple of songs. Jesus is strictly not allowed at this event and I'm kinda okay with that. There's something educative about seeing how little is left when the cross is removed from easter. But I do have some standards for what level of inanity I'm able to cope with. Yankee Doodle Bunny was the step too far last year.

I do have some standards, but my boys would argue that my standards have slipped dangerously low. These little songs that I've written today might not be quite as bad as Yankee Doodle Bunny, but they are certainly moving in that direction.

What do you think? Are these too awful even for an easter bonnet parade? (I'll try and write something a bit more significant for the whole group items. Last year I did this.)

Little Easter Bunny

Little Easter bunny
You look so funny
Short tail, long ears
And a chubby tummy!

Open up your basket
What do I see?
Yellow, orange, red and gold
Easter eggs for me!

Easter Bunny Hop Hop Hop

Easter bunny hop, hop, hop
Deliver all those eggs, oh don't you stop!
Chocolate, sweet and smooth and yum
Easter eggs for everyone!

Up in the tree

Up in the tree is a little nest
Built by the bird that I like best
She flies away now let's look and see
Three eggs, three eggs, one, two three!

Up in the tree is a little nest
Built by the bird that I like best
Three eggs are hatching
Let's look and see
Three chicks, three chicks, one, two, three!

Egg Song

Wiggle Jiggle
Yellow Middle
White around the shelly
Soft and tender
goey center
put it in your belly

eggy weggy
mummy wummy
cook 'em for my supper
crack 'em, beat 'em
fry 'em, eat 'em
eggs with toast and butter!

sar 2014

Saturday, February 8, 2014

a flurry of lyric writing

It's songwriting season at the moment.

I'm trying to write things fairly quickly - sit down and work an idea from scratch in 2-3 hours. As a result, nothing I'm coming up with feels particularly special... but I'm trying not to care. Anything that goes anywhere goes through ten rewrites anyway. I can try and insert some magic later.

Thematically, my focus is on life in the church. What is it to be a member of Jesus' church? It's pretty broad, but I'm thinking about songs on serving one anther, hearing God's word, prayer, evangelism, love, obedience...

I love getting feedback. I listen carefully to your comments and they do change the end product.

Oh Lord you spoke

1. Oh Lord you spoke
and light shone in the darkness.
The world took form:
the earth and sky and sea.
Creation born
in life and love and beauty.
Oh mighty word, speak today to me!

2. Oh Lord you spoke
a herald of salvation.
From shore to shore
your people heard your plea
and left all things
that they might turn and follow.
Oh mighty word, speak today to me!

3. O Lord you spoke.
Your word brought hope and healing.
The lame could walk
and blinded eyes could see.
At your command
the grave released its captives!
Oh mighty word, speak today to me!

4. O Lord you spoke.
Your word, a blade within us,
revealing hearts
in sin that ever stray.
Proclaiming hope,
your righteousness and mercy.
Oh mighty word, speak to us today!

5. Oh Lord you speak
so give us ears to hear you!
Renew our minds
and drive our doubts away.
Breathe out your power
that we might know and serve you.
Oh mighty word, speak to us today!
Oh mighty word, speak to us today!


Don't think I've ever written a 5 verser before. Pretty sure this needs to lose at least one verse. Which one? 

Thursday, February 6, 2014

ISTJ and INTJ preaching

Ministers of all personality types can learn to preach and preach well. Some personality types may seem to be better suited to the task than others, but with the right training, convictions, effort and personal insight, all ministers can learn to preach. Theological colleges and preaching courses look after the training part of preaching (some better than others). Convictions about the power of God’s word come to us through the Word itself. Effort comes from our desire to faithfully carry out the task committed to us. It’s personal insight that I think many preachers lack. Ministers aren’t always that great at identifying patterns of strength and weaknesses in their preaching.

It’s in the area of personal insight that I think the Myers Briggs type indicator can be really useful. It may be that you don’t agree with the MB thing at all. That’s fine. But do a test (5 minutes!) and find your apparent type and see if the strengths and weaknesses that I list for your type (or perhaps for one close to it) relate to your preaching. Even if you completely disagree at least it might have helped you reflect on your own preaching. Maybe. Humor me. Tell me I’m wrong!

Today I’m going to talk about ISTJ and INTJ preachers.

Both ISTJs and INTJs are INTROVERTS (I). They like to be by themselves for good amounts of time and so solitary sermon prep is unlikely to be an overly burdensome chore for them. Both believe that life should be willed and decided. They like to have things settled (that’s the JUDGING thing (J)). Both make decisions based on impersonal logic (THINKING - T). Because of their J and T preference, ISTJ and INTJ sermons are likely to be fairly well structured and in their application, they will tend to be quite directive (ie. telling people what to do.) Because ISTJs and INTJs are neither FEELING types or EXTRAVERTS, their pastoral insights may be lacking. Occasionally they may include an illustration that causes offense. Perhaps it will just be a throwaway comment... but they don’t naturally have a sense of what might hurt people’s feelings. Similarly, their application could fail to recognize the complexities of various pastoral situations (particularly ISTJ types) and offer inadequate advice. Both ISTJs and INTJs would benefit from having a spouse or trusted other whisper in their ear occasionally when an illustration or application point was pastorally clunky.

The difference between the two is only in one little letter - the SENSING (S) or INTUITION (N) preference. But this one letter is worth considering because it makes a big difference to how the minister goes about the task of preaching.

Sensing types (like the ISTJ) are interested in actualities. Facts. Things that they can perceive with their senses are trustworthy. Intuitives on the other hand (like the INTJ), are comparatively uninterested in concrete facts. For intuitive types, possibilities, abstract ideas and theories are where it’s at. They theorize without thinking about it, jumping from idea to idea, connecting one thing with another very quickly. Intuitives are into inspiration and new ideas. They are more excitable and find routine dull.

So there’s only one letter different between ISTJs and INTJs but this letter makes quite a difference to their sermons.

ISTJs don’t much like abstract thought, understanding a passage just for the sake of understanding the passage, and exegesis without (immediate) application. They don’t enjoy it, they don’t naturally see the point of it, and they are slow at it. But the ‘J’ in them drives them to want to want to make decisions quickly, to choose a path to take, to tie up loose ends and close off options. If the ISTJ makes decisions too fast - before s/he’s thought enough about he passage - the sermon can be half baked theologically. He/she may unwittingly miss the main point of the passage. The exegesis can be shallow. Inadequate. An ISTJ may cover up his/her poor reading of the passage by retreating into a doctrinal system (perhaps Calvinism) or by parroting what other preachers have said, or with pomp or truisms. Because the ISTJ's sermon will be structured quite well, appear to follow the passage and perhaps delivered with some force, most of the congregation won't be able to see the exegetical inadequacies on the spot. But over time, a congregation who have tasted better passage work will feel that they aren't as engaged with the scriptures as they need to be.

This may all sound discouraging for the ISTJ, but there are many excellent ISTJ preachers out there. If you are an ISTJ, your exegesis needn't be inadequate. Just take the time to read the text properly. Acknowledge that you're not naturally as quick at exegesis as some and give yourself time. In fact, force yourself to take the time. Don't let yourself make any decisions about what the passage is saying until you've looked at every word carefully. Work out how every idea fits with every other idea. If you're tempted to start riffing your Calvinism or Driscollism or Whateverism, stop and start the passage work again.

INTJs, in contrast, are good with abstractions. They enjoy the exegetical process and are fast at it. They too, want decisions made quickly, but because they think so much more quickly than the ISTJ, their sermons don’t suffer from it. A well trained INTJ with good convictions about the importance of preaching God's word will likely produce sermons with interesting biblical insights presented in a straightforward, logical way... but INTJs probably won't see their sermons as works of art. Instead, they'll see them as functional pieces of communication. As such, some listeners may feel that something is lacking. If ideas alone can move you, then you'll probably quite like an INTJ's preaching. Others will wish a little more effort was put into the packaging.

 Thoughts?

The gospel imperative


Oh sinner come
to Jesus’ throne
Claim righteousness
that’s not your own
There’s mercy vast
and pardon sweet
So cast your sin
at Jesus’ feet.

Oh sinner come
and don’t delay
The time is short
so come today!
Surrender pride
for who are we?
Take off your crown
and bow your knee.

Oh sinner come!
You’re not alone
Our Lord took flesh
made earth his home.
He surely knows
temptation’s lure
He is our hope
He is our cure. 

sar 2014

44444444  44444444  44444444  Too obvious?