Hello World!
Hey all,
Due to continued harrassment from my friends here on the big wide Interweb of ours, I have finally succumbed to temptation and started a blog of my very own. It is my fondest wish that this would be a forum for discussion and change for our diverse and wonderful Canadian culture - or we can just plan the next meeting at the King's Head. Either one is good.
This is under construction for the next few days, so feel free to ignore me until then. Cheers!
Due to continued harrassment from my friends here on the big wide Interweb of ours, I have finally succumbed to temptation and started a blog of my very own. It is my fondest wish that this would be a forum for discussion and change for our diverse and wonderful Canadian culture - or we can just plan the next meeting at the King's Head. Either one is good.
This is under construction for the next few days, so feel free to ignore me until then. Cheers!
posted by Grey Owl at 1:14 p.m.
10 Comments:
Looks good so far - beautiful page, the colour of Guinness. Look forward to reading your ruminations; if you need an html pointer or two along the way, just shout - you know where to find me.
Thanks pal! I'll let you know if (and when!) I need a hand.
Cheers,
Welcome, Grey Owl!
It's about time you started. I eargerly await what is yet to come!
Peace,
Jamie
cool. I was wondering where you'd been. When you get a chance, can you tell me what turned you off of worship music? And thanks for the link!
Thanks man! It had to happen sometime, right? It was either this or find an infinite number of monkeys to bang away aimlessly at keyboards for all eternity. You know what I mean.
Thanks again.
Thanks Cindy. That's a huge question, one better suited to a face-to-face convo, but here it is in a nutshell: I entered the church at 16 and was bombarded with alot of emotive, expressive worship forms. I knew very little at the time so when my new friends told me that worship was about "experiencing God" (and they exhibited rapterous joy in the process) I took them at their word. I did everything I could for 3 years to try and experience the same feelings they did, and faked it most of the time. This never sat too well with me, and neither did the attitudes and behaviors of those I was trying to emulate. Lots of back-stabbing, lots of hypocrisy. Eventually I gave up and concluded that the experiences themselves were either a) fake or b) not powerful enough to effect any change in their lives. So that was the start of a very painful and personal journey to get to where I am now. There's been more since then, and I've come to a more "grounded" understanding of the whole issue, but that is where the initial turn-off came from.
Thanks for stopping by!
Ok, ok. With a comment like that (re: worship), you HAVE to blog on the topic at some point. How about it?
Jamie
Well that helps some. I guess it will have to suffice for now, since you did decline my invitation to Alabama- geez- but Jamie may be right about a post. You reminded me of parts of the article you sent by Dr. Best.
I guess a lot of us have had those experiences where the emotional pretenses wear through and we eventually see them for what they are. It happens in all areas of spiritual life, doesn't it? Once some ladies prayed for me- straight from the Bible mind you- quoting I don't know what book- in an attempt to correct my behavior which they deemed subversive and damaging to the church. They were so very emotional and certain of their spirituality. I never attended their little prayer coven again, needless to say. My terrible behavior- if you're wondering- was that the pastor had asked me to teach a ladies bible study even though my husband and I had not technically joined the church. Heresy! (Beleive it or not we never did join that church!)
Emotional manipulation is a real sore point for me. I won't watch a movie if I know their goal is to make me cry. Haven't seen Titanic or The Passion.
Since it probably isn't clear at this point, I said all that to say, I do understand resisting something that has been used pretentiously or manipulatively. That's exactly why I always have such angst about the music I offer. I can't imagine being much more offensive to God than to essentially tell Him that He isn't quite getting through to His people, so He needs me to jerk them around emotionally in worship. Yet---yet---, there is an emotional aspect to music, as there is to the passion of Christ. Can't ignore it, but neither should we abuse it. It seems the Church over the ages has swung to one side or the other on the emotion pendulum, and rarely settled in between. Are we up to the challenge?
Jamie - yeah, I suppose I'll have to, eh? I'm still trying to figure out how to link books to my site...
Cindy - I'm glad you understand. And I know there is an emotional aspect to music - I just don't feel comfortable with the pressure that so often surrounds worship/christian music in general. Funny - I get more emotional during a good folk song or some of the "goth rock" music I listen to than I do with the Christian stuff. I wonder why that is? Oh well - thanks for stopping by! I'll have to devote more time to this in a future post!
Hey bro,
I am sure there is a way to link books, though the ease was why I left for www.blog.com (as I used to be here at Blogger). Alas!
Peace,
Jamie
P.S. I can't wait for your first post
Post a Comment
<< Home