Not a Camouflaged Soul

Author: Jon Wellman

  • #setlist

    I caught myself doing something I can’t stand.

    A couple of weeks ago, I started tweeting my praise band’s set list and requesting prayer for our team (For the record, the past couple of weeks have been Spirit-filled. Thanks to those who pray for us.).

    Then, I see Todd Agnew doing the same thing. All of a sudden, I feel like I’m in good company. But at the end of his, I see the following: “#setlist.”

    (For the Twitter-illiterate, the number sign in front of a word indicates it is a trend. Users follow trends to join conversations about various topics.)

    I followed the “setlist” trend, and I find tweets from other worship leaders outlining the songs they did or are doing Sunday. “Great!” I think. “I can get some great ideas this way.”

    Then it happened. I read a setlist of hymns.

    My critical thoughts went something like this: “Hymns aren’t a setlist! A setlist is a band song thing. Hymns are too old fashioned for ‘setlist.’ Those songs are just phoned-in, pre-sermon singing.”

    First, I assumed the exact thing that I fear people assume about me: that I just pick songs out of a hat with no prayer, conscious thought, or Spirit leading involved.

    Second, I belittled in my mind an entire genre of worship songs. If you don’t attend my church, you might not understand how hypocritical this is: I lead worship in a contemporary AND a traditional service! But somehow, in my mind, I separated the two. Setlist for first service, hymns for second. Like it matters.

    I know better than that. Doctrine versus preference is a fight I engage in often, and am dedicated to the former and skeptical to dismissive of the latter. I endeavor to bathe my song choices in prayer and trust the Holy Spirit to use them.

    How dare I assume this brother did not!

    This just reaffirmed in my heart that songs, hymns, and spiritual songs all have valid purpose. This is true whether you program “Majesty” or “Majestic,” use a 50-year-old piano or a band, or call it a “setlist” or “order of worship.”

  • In Every Sense of the Word

    I feel like I need to weigh in on the murder of George Tiller, the abortionist that was murdered while serving in a church in Kansas yesterday morning.

    I have intentionally resisted the urge to read any other blogs regarding this subject, so I may or may not repeat opinions of others here.

    My perspective: I am pro-life in every sense of the word, and in every sense of the Word. I believe that partial birth abortion is a heinous act of murder, and the murder of the most defenseless among us.

    I further believe that sin is sin. God does not make distinctions as to which sins are worse than others: that is a human misconception.

    I do not believe this man deserved murder, because no one does. I guarantee there are some out there making the argument that he deserved to die for all the babies he slaughtered. To those pundits I offer the following:

    What did you do today that earned YOUR murder?

    Please understand. I am not anti-punishment under the law. But abortion isn’t illegal. Not for now. Should it be? Absolutely. I believe the politicians in this country that have allowed this to go on will be held accountable for that fact one day. The issue remains that just because something is a sin does not necessarily mean it is illegal, unfortunately.

    Bottom line: we followers of Christ really need to be careful not to rejoice or take satisfaction in the slaughter of another. Matthew 5:21-22 addresses this line of thought.

    Tiller was wrong. The person who killed him was wrong. We are ALL wrong. Christ died for EXACTLY that reason. He was NEVER wrong. He was blameless. And He died on the cross so we would not have to. We all deserve a cross. All of us.

    One last thing. Just because an abortionist is murdered does not make abortion ok. A lot of the “news” reports about this murder are talking about pro-life advocates needing to soften their message, and I even saw a call for a national day of mourning for Tiller. Neither of these things should happen. First, the sin for which he gained his notoriety is just as much a sin today as it was yesterday. Second, though we should not celebrate his murder, we certainly should not celebrate his life’s work. He accomplished much AGAINST the body of Christ, and that fact deserves no accolades.

  • Just Listen

    Dove of the Holy Spirit
    Image by hops_76 via Flickr

     

    I have been reading about, thinking about, and praying to the Holy Spirit a lot lately. I think it is way too easy to forget about Him, and it is a shame when we do.

     

    I think the reason He is easily ignored is because He rarely shouts.

     

    There have been times when I have sought the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the midst of the din of iTunes/iPod/talk radio/web radio to no avail. But when I shut off the garbage and sought to commune with Him, He spoke to me in an unmistakable, yet quiet, voice.

     

    Too often, I believe we ignore/tune out His voice because we think of the Holy Spirit as an “it” rather than co-equal with the Father and the Son. Is He any less God? We worship the Trinity, not a “du-inity+1.”

     

    Embracing the presence of the Holy Spirit within us is completely empowering! Jesus went so far as to tell His disciples that they needed to stay in Jerusalem until the Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:4-5). Jesus knew that, with Him gone, the disciples would need the comfort and power the Holy Spirit would provide, and they shouldn’t go anywhere less than fully “equipped.” Neither should we.

     

    If you are Born Again, you have the Spirit within you. I’d encourage you to give Him room to speak in our noisy world. And when He leads, obey.