Tim Abbott

May I be...

I loved this from Joe Knight, reflecting on the life of the community he is part of in Gloucester.

May I be quick to bless
And slow to hurt
Quick to build up
And slow to injure
Quick to listen
And slow to react hastily
Quick to be honest
And slow to blame
Quick to gentleness
Slow to forcefulness
Quick to humility
And slow to superiority
Quick to make peace
And slow to divide
Quick to be meek
And slow to over confidence
Quick to affirm
Slow to argue
Quick to keep an open heart
Slow to manipulate
Quick to be selfless
Slow to defensiveness
Quick to discern
And slow to judge
Quick to patience
And slow carelessness
Quick to love
And slow to break friendship
Quick to see you Jesus
And slow to reinforce my image
Quick to let you speak
And slow to my own opinions
Quick to hear your words
And slow to my own interpretations
Quick to let your kingdom come
Slow to make my will be done
Quick to seek and find you
And slow to hide from you
Lord Jesus,
Fill my heart, my mind and my mouth
May they be you to others
And for you forever
Amen

CCM praise songs meme - further thoughts

I have been thinking further on this one, developing some thoughts which were simmering when I wrote my first post on this. I enjoy the process of developing my thinking, even if I need to revise my earlier views and as a consequence I have now re-edited the original post.

I very much appreciated several responses. I enjoyed Rach's post (with which I identify strongly!) and  appreciated Joe's post, some valuable reflection (rather than reaction) by Tim Chesterton and these well chosen words What will enable this congregation to worship? from Sam.

I still believe there is a vital conversation for the church to be having, probably continuously, as each new generation of song writers bring their perspective to the field of contemporary worship. I also believe that some of the naff or theologically duff material needs to be critiqued somehow so that our pursuit of excellence (though not perfectionism) in worship is undiminished. Unlke a duff sermon, which will hopefully be forgotten by next week's far better sermon, duff worship songs can become part of our hymnody (of whatever style) and begin to affect our theology. I have met people who believe slightly odd things because they sung them. We believe and remember what we sing far more than what we hear, which William Booth used to admirable effect in the early songs of the Salvation Army. So we need to have space for an open, honest and constructive discussion about the content of our worship songs, even if some of that appears to be negative. And, in this interconnected world, there is merit in conducting such discussion online.

But I now think the main locus of such discussions needs primarily to be in our churches, with our worship leaders and church leaders. This may not immediately affect the output of the worship music machine that is the CCM industry, but it will help to develop understanding, inform the process of congregational song selection and equip the next generation of worship leaders. I am not aware of any church that creates a forum for discussion of what is sung, what it means, and how we understand the greater questions of what worship is and then how we effectively engage people in it, in song and otherwise. That would be a discussion worth having, because at heart it is about that most central of issues; our very relationship with God.

Perhaps you have had such a conversation in your church. What was the outcome?

CCM Praise Songs We Have Trouble With - A meme [re-edited]

I've been watching this one doing the rounds.

Please try to name ONE (I know, there are so many to choose from) CCM praise song that you find unbearable and at least 2-3 reasons why, pointing to specific lyrics if you must.

I orginally posted some thoughts about "When the music fades" by Matt Redman, a song I still find problematic. However, the conversation has moved on somewhat and in response I felt strongly that I should edit this post so that it doesn't contradict my developing view on the subject.

I ended on a couple of positive notes. I still find "Revelations Song" (Kari Jobe) scriptural, powerful and singable. For a rather full on production try here.

And I'm also enjoying Future of Forestry who, to my mind, seem to be able to balance truth, confession and a hint of the prophetic with musical excellence.

I tagged Rach, who wrote a great response!

Update: Valuable reflection (rather than reaction) by Tim Chesterton and some well chosen words from Sam

Heart to Drum 2010

On the 9th October drummers, dancers and musicians from Psalm Drummers, Movement in Worship and Worship Central will be taking part in Heart to Drum 2010; Luke Hellebronth (Worship Central) will be leading the evening worship session along with a fantastic line up of names from the Christian and main stream music scene. The evening worship will be the culmination of a full day of drumming, dancing, masterclasses, pro demos and inspirational teaching. 
 
The event includes masterclasses in kit drumming, hand percussion & prophetic dance as well as inspirational teaching and showcases from some of the UK's top drummers. Taking part are:
Stew Smith (Delirious?)
Ed Freitas (Cyba-X, International Session Artist, Drummerbuzz, WFD-UK World Record Holder)
Raul D’Oliveira (Elton John, Wham!, Mike Oldfield, Graham Kendrick)
Henry George (Ichthus, Godfrey Birtill, Graham Kendrick)
Tim Cooke (Worship Central, Ben Cantalon)
Andy Au (Movement in Worship)

Michelle Tennens, co-leader of Psalm Drummers in Colchester writes;

"Come, play, pray and let’s worship our God together! You are invited to bring your djembe or hand percussion, floor tom or snare and practice pads to be part of this exciting interactive day of workshops, pro demos and worship."

Heart to Drum 2010 is on Saturday 9th October from 11am to 10pm at Kingsland Church, Colchester. Tickets are just £20 per person (concessions available) and can be purchased online at Kingswayshop.com.
Tickets are also available for the evening worship (8pm – 10pm) at £5 each. To reserve tickets please email dan.abbott@psalmdrummers.org

Godfrey Birtill at 'Levites'

On Monday night Godfrey Birtill was in Colchester leading worship and teaching as part of a weekly training evening called “Levites” run throughout June by Kingsland Church.

Godfrey has a distinctive worship style that, it would be fair to say, seems to divide opinion. At the very least he is unique, passionate and prophetic. Prior to hearing him in person, I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that there’s a lot more going on here than meets the eye. Theologically he stands firmly with the Celtic saints in his approach to the word, the land, the spirit and the challenging road of following Christ, writing his own songs in his own style, as well as refreshing great hymns, once forgotten, with new tunes.

After leading an energetic time of worship, which included 10 or 12 minutes of peace, simply waiting in God’s presence, Godfrey taught for a while on worship. Here, in not particularly elegant form, are my recollections of some of his key points.

• You are the worship team. It’s not about the band. You can’t go home and say “that was a terrible time of worship” - you’re part of it.We’re fed a diet of worship by an industry that is concerned to remain safe in the pursuit of sales.

Here are some styles of worship that seem to be missing from the worship life of our churches.

• The dread of God - Sometimes we need reminding of the fear of God. Dread - meaning to create awe. (When he produced his album ‘dread God’ executives from the music industry told him they couldn’t release it because of the title - it wasn’t safe enough.)

• War songs - there is a spiritual battle. You don’t have to be a Christian very long to realise we’re in a battle.

• Lament - it may not be a season for that now - need a season of Joy to produce a different sound in a nation that’s suffering from financial insecurity and worry. But sometimes we need songs of lament to bring before God.

• Prophetic songs - songs that speak to the land. Scripture speaks about the land. Is 40:9 “Say to the city, this is your God.” Jesus wept over the city. Sometimes our worship is too nice. The prophetic can be a little off the wall and we need to make room for that, without going to extremes.

There’s a caution about  overdoing it on any of these, but they all need to be in the worship toolkit.

• The songs aren’t in a resource pack, they’re in you. Indigenous songs - where are the songs that reflect your locality and issues? Godfrey appealed to young song writers - a lot of songs put out by the industry are like Coke - it’s the same everywhere. “I like Coke, but there’s too much fast food and fizzy pop - pop music - in worship today. The Lord wants to release the new wine.” Don’t write another Tim Hughes song. Don’t write something that’s the same as what we’ve already got. Wine comes from an area - there’s a uniqueness about it.

• Recapture the mystical in worship. It’s not the occult. Don’t reject things because of an old mindset. Godfrey spoke glowingly of the depth of worship among Catholic groups he’s been working with.

• There have been many critics of revival - but you’ve never heard of them. But you’ve heard of Wesley and other leaders of revival. Some people appoint themselves as spiritual policemen - we need to make sure we're not part of it.

• It’s not about being professional - “The church should be more amateur than professional” Henri Nouwen. Amateurs have passion. Amateur doesn’t mean substandard - it means, a lover (from the French, amour). Pursue amateurism, keep that fire, that passion. Leave room for the Holy Spirit - it’s part of the adventure.

I gained a huge respect for Godfrey. He really is a unique voice in a crowded and often clone like worship culture. If you get a chance to hear him, take it.

Diocesan Youth Leaders day worship

On Tuesday I was taking part in a Chelmsford Diocesan Youth Leaders day hosted by our three lovely youth advisers, Andy, Alice and Rachel. As well as being there as a youth worker I was also co-leading an afternoon session on Prayer Spaces in Schools. Arriving early we set up 7 Sanctum prayer stations in about 20 minutes thanks to the amazing CYO team who made the whole operation look like a well rehearsed military exercise.

Here's a run down of the worship time I led for the first 30 minutes of the day.

1. Slowing down

I used A Breathing Prayer by Christine Sine (h/t Jonny Baker) printed out 18 times, each printout having a different line in bold. (I'd also produced a few plain copies as there were just over 20 of us). We prayed through it one line at a time read by the person with that line in bold on their copy, leaving a whole breath (breathe out, breathe in) between each line to give the prayer the right 'pace'. The printouts being randomly distributed among us which enhanced the sense of a community at prayer, rather than reading round in order.

2. Sharing stories

I showed a Keynote slide with photos of signs bearing these words

Love, Joy, Sadness, Peace, fear and doubt

and asked people in pairs to tell a story from their work with young people that’s inspired by one of the words. Then to pray the simplest prayer for the other person.
They were then asked to tell a different person a different story from their walk with God that’s inspired by the same words, followed again by praying the simplest prayer for each other.

3. Silent meditation on John 15:4-8 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you..."

4. Using plain white tiles and coloured Sharpie pens people were encouraged to create a coaster that reflects the questions:

In what way do you want more of God?
In what way does God want more of you?

with Kim Walker, "I have found" playing in the background. Although this only gave us about 6 minutes, looking around later there were some truly inspiring tile coasters heading back to various parts of Essex and east London. My prayer is that they will continue to inspire people in their walk with God and that God will surprise them with his answers and his presence.

5 Deeply De-Christian Doctrines Meme

Joe tagged me with this so I thought I ought to play ball and join in.

List 5 doctrines that are taught within the Christian church that you believe to be deeply de-Christian.

I will interpret 'taught' in it's broad sense. Some of these things may not be preached from the pulpit, but are often taught by what we do. Also, I'm pretty much on the same page as Joe with the five things he listed so the pressure is on to find another five.

1. The longer / louder your prayer the more likely it is that God will hear it.

2. When Jesus said 'make disciples'; he had in mind a teaching series delivered by an expert

3. That holiness is more about what I do than what God does

4.The body of Christ looks like a (our?) church rather than the church (with all her faults, diversity and character)

5. That running a business is less spiritual than running a church / Christian organisation

Most of the people I might have tagged seem to be on a blog holiday however, should they wish to join in, for perhaps a more youth work tinted view I tag Ian, Sarah and Alice.

Canada

A couple of weeks ago I was in Canada with two friends for a four day conference at Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship, the church behind what came to be known as the ‘Toronto Blessing’.
Although one of my friends, Dave, is a church leader who has been six times before, this was my first trip to TACF, coming, as it did, at a strangely appropriate time when my diary seemed miraculously to be clear. I had engagements the day before going and on the evening of my return - amazing! Before the conference started Dave took us to the Niagara Falls on a brilliantly sunny day. Although the falls are spectacular, the city is rather tacky!

In essence the conference was simply about developing a closer relationship with God, the outcome, or overflow, from which will touch a needy world. There were some amazing stories of God at work through the lives of a number of the delegates - Muslims becoming Christians on a Toronto bus journey; young women being saved (in every sense of the word) out of a life of prostitution in Africa; people being healed in the most spectacular and hype-free way. Although I might have wished for some amazing revelation from God, the lasting impression is of a renewed confidence in God and the challenge to keep on pursuing intimacy with Him. Jesus so often spoke about the spiritually hungry and thirsty - I was left wondering just how hungry or thirsty we are / I am.

Pete Rollins, in How (not) to speak of God  writes:

A true seeking after God results from an experience of God which one falls in love with for no reason other than finding God irresistibly lovable. In this way the lovers of God are the ones who are most passionately in search of God.

One experience in particular seized me and created something of a defining moment. During the Saturday afternoon session I looked to my left and saw someone who was the absolute identical twin of my dad, right down to his style of clothes, his glasses and his mannerisms. It was a completely captivating moment - I had to keep checking to be sure. But in that moment I knew for certain that I had no unresolved issues with my dad, who died in Nov 2003; there was nothing in my relationship with my father that could in any way be hindering my relationship with my heavenly Father. My dad’s double was only there for that one session - he’d gone again by the evening.

On the Sunday we drove to see friends of Dave’s near Ottawa who lead a church that is fast outgrowing their house, where they meet, and may soon be more publicly present in the nearby town. Then on Monday a night flight home to Gatwick, arriving Tuesday morning with a lunchtime meeting in a school (booking another week of Sanctum) and a Trustees meeting in the evening. Is that what they call a heavy landing?!

Photos on Flickr

I am...

Just flagging up a great post by Phil from a few days ago looking at Jesus words, "I am the way, the truth and the life." He's uploaded the videos he used. My favourite is "I am the truth".
[If you're interested, there are several alternative versions on YouTube!]

Psalm Drummers in Colchester

Last  night was the first gathering of Psalm Drummers here in Colchester. It was organised by Dan and Michelle and attracted 43 drummers from all over the area.

Terl Bryant, the man behind Psalm Drummers, led the evening, getting everyone there involved in an improv piece of massed percussion. With over 30 djembi's and Dan on his floor tom the sound was awesome and Terl directed things through a series of different rhythms and dynamics to create what can only be described as worship. The evening included an overview of the role of drums in worship and the vision for Psalm Drummers and went into a time of percussion as intercession. Finally, Terl and his team prayed for Dan and Michelle as they carry this group forward and develop this remarkable ministry in the Colchester area.

As well as being a great evening, it was a bit of a "proud dad" moment for me seeing Dan in such a clear leadership role, following the calling that's on his life and inspiring so many others.