Hi there!

This isn't my usual Pensive Pastor posting. It's a copy of a rant (admittedly a rare event) I posted on my Facebook page. The message came about as a result of one fellow's repeated efforts and comments to form a Facebook group that would try to preserve church music as it is, or mythically was. I live in the 21st century. What was, was, and what is now is what matters. So, here's what happens when I reach my breaking point with folks.
 
I'm sick and tired of people trying to stop the growth and evolution of church music. What's wrong with material written by people who are dead, and performed on instruments found in the real world, rather than the pipe organs now almost completely limited to the lofty confines of a church or a few select auditoriums.
I've had it with the digs at contemporary words that express the feelings of contemporary people in terms that contemporary people use.
I've had it with folks who think that they have cornered the market one what we should sing, what books we should use rather than simply letting music and worship grow and mature the same way every other human activity does. 
Plus, the Bible never asks us to sing an old song to the Lord. Neither does it mention organs. Instead, it calls for stringed instruments (like guitars) and cymbals (like drums) trumpets and harps. So, theologically speaking, there is no place in the church for organs, period. 
I've had it with those people who are so fascinated by our history and what's gone on in the past that they seem to miss that what's happening both inside and outside of the church now is equally valid and should inform how we move on from here. Hindsight is fine, but keeping our eyes firmly fixed on the past leads nowhere.

Let our praise and worship speak from the voices and hearts alive today, and let our music come from the heart, wherever our hearts lie, even if comes out in tunes like Shine, Jesus Shine. And by the way, Luther used the tunes to (his) contemporary drinking songs to accompany his lyrics. 

I'd like to start a group stopping anti-church music change groups, but then I'd just be playing certain people's little game, so enough said.
Let the new stuff flow, good or bad, along with all the other good or bad stuff that's already out there; as long as it's directed to God worshipfully, I think that's good enough.

September 27th

Surfing the web one afternoon, I came across two requests for help on a website designed for that stuff. Just as a quick side note, no, I do not normally visit those self-help sites; it just happened that one caught my eye, so don’t worry, I’m not always “on” in Pastor mode.
Anyway, it struck me that two folks, in fairly rapid succession, and with no apparent connection, should both be curious about how to lose weight quickly and easily. I guess it’s a pretty common thing; I too have constantly been battling the bulge, but I’ve been trying to do it by watching what I eat, exercising, and generally trying to be careful and take care of myself.
These folks, however, wanted easier, quicker solutions. One person wanted to lose 30 pounds in 10 weeks, something that is only possible if you absolutely starve yourself, or get some professional surgical assistance. There is no healthy or non-surgical alternative. That’s all there is to it. The body can only do so much to change, and losing that much weight in that little time is absolutely outside its normal abilities.
Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other opinions out there. Lots of folks offered unhealthy alternatives, like weird diets, pills, alternative medicine or crazy exercise regimens. Like believers in some bizarre religion, each spouted the benefits of a particular diet, supplement or work out plan, even though each of those schemes reads like a bad infomercial or advice from a snake-oil salesman. What’s worse, they are giving their bad advice as if they are authorities, when in reality they have little training and no real qualifications. Well, that’s what happens when you ask for something without expecting to pay for it. Mind you, there are enough charlatans that are perfectly willing to take your money if you are willing enough to get bad advice and pay for it, too.
For me, whether it’s weight loss or any other topic, I try to stick to folks with recognized, well published credentials. It’s a lot safer, a lot smarter and in the long run, a lot cheaper to pay for good advice once, rather than having to overcome the more than likely bad physical and financial repercussions of bad advice.
That’s why I stick to the Bible and the Presbyterian Church in Canada for my spiritual advice and guidance. I know that those are two reputable sources with long histories of success in helping people lead better, healthier, happier and more successful lives. The Bible is a great source of teaching, inspiration and comfort. The PCC’s assorted doctrines offer a clear plan for living based on years of expert and inspired study and interpretation of the Bible by a great cloud of witnesses whose own lives demonstrate the effectiveness of the ideas they present.
I realize that these sources of advice might not be as exciting as the opinions one finds on the internet, but on the other hand, they’ve been very helpful for a lot longer than Internet advice has been around, and when push comes to shove, a Bible still works even when the power goes out. At least that’s the way I see it.