As I was reading in the Psalms today, it occurred to me one of the many reasons that music and singing as personal worship is really "hit or miss" for a lot of people has to do with comfort.

Not immediate comfort (think the climate controls for driver and passenger in a car). More like, an overall comfort in life where we have no immediate needs.

I should preface this by saying that singing to God is commanded in scripture, and there are no qualifying statements about singing only being performed by people that love music, (like me) or people that are really talented (like others).

It seems that comfort and singing are rarely next to each other in the scriptures. Singing has often through human history been a means of comforting the soul, or at the very least expressing something that you feel. This occurs most often in times of trouble, times of sorrow, and times of elation or joy. These are not neutral places for the soul, but instead a time when a person is most aware of themselves and their Creator.

The problem for many church attenders is that they sit through a church service and feel nothing. The problem for many worship leaders and service planners is that worship is not about emotion and sometimes emotion can even lead us away from true worship.

From the pain of David in the Psalms fleeing from his enemies desperately trying to save his life, to the richness of the old Negro Spirituals, there is undoubtedly a connection between great anguish and powerful, evocative music. Joy and deep peace have been a spring of art as well, but an exciting joy (the birth of the child, a financial windfall, a new relationship) is what leads to song. Not a stripped down, temporary joy, like the joy I feel over my favorite burrito at Qdoba.

I guess my point is this; comfort in many ways removes the human need to respond to anything. At its most basic level, the human soul will seep in apathy and a numbing stillness unless provoked. Grace seems pretty provocative to me.

I pray that we would be a provoked people.

Many in my age group are apathetic and in some cases even hostile towards the local church.  The most common reason?  Church is messy.

It may be oversimplified in my mind. No one questions that the church is made up of people that are broken. Therefore, churches are inherently broken, sometimes in obvious areas and other times in more difficult to perceive ones.

This is a part of what Jesus sees in His bride regularly, and lovingly works through and despite her on a regular basis.

The rub comes in when believers see said brokenness and decide that they will have nothing to do with the local church. Rather than being the catalyst for change that the church may desperately need, they isolate themselves and turn into the church's critic rather than her champion.

I hope that the brokenness of the church at large is a means for us to never take credit for advancement in the Gospel, a humbling presence that allows us to welcome others into our community, and ultimately, something we admit openly to give glory to our Maker for.

We are messy.  We are sick.  That's why we need Jesus so badly.

"It is hard to worship to the more poetic songs. I enjoy them but it is hard to worship. Why do we do those songs in worship?"

I think I know what you're asking, and I would love to ask you some clarifying questions, but as is often the case in church feedback, this card was unsigned.

1. Poetry is the heart of lyrical composition, whether put to music or not. The greatest example of musical worship we have in the Scriptures, the Psalms, are poetry. In the original Hebrew, some Psalms were even alliterated! Literary genius or nightmare, depending on who you ask.

2. Worship is both a time to praise God with things that are true, and encourage one another with truths about our God. I addressed this issue a few weeks back on stage. Some songs are written with the "audience" of the song being God, others with the audience being the room full of people. I do not see this as inherently bad, as long as the things that are being sung are communicating truth and the hope of the gospel. I run the songs that my teams play at Stones through this filter, and if somehow you were offended by my selection, I do apologize.

3. People tend to see "worship time" primarily about how they feel. This is dangerous and contrary to the Scriptures.  The musical portion of a service (and to be even more specific, the portion of that time where you are singing along) is only part of what a life of worship looks like.

4. We play songs that are commonly referred to as "specials" that are meant for reflection (see #2). These songs are not meant for the congregation to sing along necessarily.  These are helpful in having the people just "receive" a truth rather than rehearse them orally.  Sometimes, it can be easier to listen when you're not worrying about how your voice sounds to the person next to you.

Lastly, I appreciate your wrestling with these things. It makes me feel less crazy, because i think of these things often.

Thanks again for your question!
Donald