therevster.com

Earlier this year I was preparing for a sermon series and, as often happens, found I needed to ask God some questions about myself in order to have any integrity when finally communicating the messages. Being a simple musician at heart, God stooped to my level and planted some music themed ideas in my head.

Since I delivered the series a few people have found this imagery of the church and their place in it helpful, so here it is:

God is the worlds Music Director. He wants music to be played that inspires people to relate to Him. He gave musical gifts to everybody, including an instrument to play and a genre that suited them. He then appointed orchestra conductors around the globe; often many in one city, town or village. Each orchestra conductor had a different genre or musical flavour and it was their job to form an orchestra and shape it in such a way that it enjoyed the music it played and its genre was attractive and accessible to the public.

The music made is a collaboration of God-gifted musicians, God chosen conductors and God-inspired genres.

Here are some points to chew over:

• The Orchestra Conductor (pastor) has no say in the giftedness of the musicians (followers) – God reserves this for Himself.
• The Orchestra Conductor will enjoy a different genre from other conductors in the same city, it’s just God’s love of variety and His wisdom in ensuring there’s something for everyone.
• The musicians in any one orchestra (church) should be drawn to the clear genre (flavour) of the conductor.
• The musicians who want to play in the public performances need to be committed to practising at home (devotions) and orchestra rehearsals (discipleship).

I guess lots more can be drawn from this and to be fait it’s probably not half as good as the image of the body given by the Apostle Paul in scripture, but hey, it worked for me.

God bless.

the revster.

My youngest boy still likes me to sing him some songs at bedtime. If he senses, sometimes rightly, that I would like an evening away from this night-time routine, he chastises me and of course gets what he wants. For the past few months he only ever wants to sing two songs; an old spiritual called “I bid you goodnight“, which I must add my eldest son used to request before he became “cool”; the other song is thirty years old, a simple but profound call to live a decisive Godly life and was written by the indisputable father of Contemporary Christian Music.

One way, one way to Heaven
Hold up high your hand
Follow, free and forgiven
Children of the Lamb

Two roads diverged in the middle of my life
I heard the wise man say
I took the one less travelled by
And that’s made the difference, every night and every day

So I say one way, one way to Heaven
Hold your head up high
One way, free and forgiven
Children of the sky

Ask most successful contemporary Christian musicians for a shortlist of people who they either admire or hold as being inspirational for them and the name of Larry Norman will always be on that list. In my many years as a music director and travelling musician I sang versions of Norman songs and not only were they crowd pleasers but without fail had powerful and poignant messages. Major current artistes have covered some of the more popular of these songs, which is a wonderful tribute to a great songwriting talent, yet there are dozens of lesser known songs which populate his many albums and are just as relevant.

Always controversial, whether because of his long blond hair or his straightalking, Norman sometimes found himself in a no mans land betwixt the secular rock scene and evangelical churchdom. He became a headfigure for the Jesus movement and brought permission for frustrated Christian musicans around the globe to take up their guitars and put passionate lyrics to rockin’ tunes.

Larry died two months ago from a heart complaint. It was a sad day for anyone like me who had the pleasure of hearing him sing and teach. Today his family issued selected videos of previously unseen footage on his official website. Well worth a visit.

Larry Norman, trailbreaker, we salute you.

READ THE TIMES OBITUARY HERE. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3506298.ece

 A GREAT BLOG ABOUT LARRY http://www.rayfowler.org/2008/03/25/larry-norman-funeral-video-montage/