Saturday, June 6, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Entitlement vs. Contentment
I'm ambitious for Summer. A lot is happening. My little brother is getting married in June. Another one of my friends is getting married the same day as my brother. The church taking mission trips that I'm not involved with (what?!?!) and my brothers and I are trying to organize the recording of our first album over the hot, blustery afternoons and evenings. My whole family is going to Ark. later to celebrate my grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary, which means I must be getting up there in age. But I'm still young. I feel young! Isn't that cool?!
I feel eager and expectant about this year; as if I know somewhere inside that it's a new chapter in life; as if I've come to a point from which I can propel myself into a cyclone of accomplishment. Things are looking up. Things will never be the same. This year, this Summer, something's culminating inside, waiting to burst out of my bones. There's a fire inside me that I haven't felt for the longest time. The world felt like it was ending for a while. Now I realize that it was and still is but pair that idea with the reality that it's not over yet.
I can write songs again. I can feel them coming on every day all day long. I was conversing with my Mom and she noticed that during the conversation I would occasionally stare off into the distance and move my lips to an indiscernible pattern of words, rhymes and analogies forming in my mind. I hope I don't seem too incredibly rude when this happens. I'm not crazy, just unfocused.
Although, I am so incredibly focused on music that I don't think I shall soon be focused on much else again. That's why I'm glad college is over for the Summer and that college is over in the first two semesters. Though it was music, it was music other than the music I wanted to focus on and it was certainly needful of attention given it because of the expanding ideas and structures it built in my mind. So it was good. But it's good to be done.
There's a lot of help in this life. It's good, but there comes a point when there's too much help. All this technology and constant get-it-now mindset is exhausting to say the least. Self-help, love online, microwave ovens, etc. It's all around us. So that's exactly where we are. In the midst of all that's around us. In the middle of chaos. Easy to focus on if you aren't careful. So many people monopolize on the depression and general discontentment that they feel and are set on having their entitlements and rights recognized. 'Feel sorry for me,' is the common attitude I see. Even in Christians. I don't wanna be that. I don't wanna go down that path anymore. There's a fire alive inside me and a world that is swiftly ending, but not over yet.
Let the fire out; light up the night.
Andrew R. M. Hanson
I feel eager and expectant about this year; as if I know somewhere inside that it's a new chapter in life; as if I've come to a point from which I can propel myself into a cyclone of accomplishment. Things are looking up. Things will never be the same. This year, this Summer, something's culminating inside, waiting to burst out of my bones. There's a fire inside me that I haven't felt for the longest time. The world felt like it was ending for a while. Now I realize that it was and still is but pair that idea with the reality that it's not over yet.
I can write songs again. I can feel them coming on every day all day long. I was conversing with my Mom and she noticed that during the conversation I would occasionally stare off into the distance and move my lips to an indiscernible pattern of words, rhymes and analogies forming in my mind. I hope I don't seem too incredibly rude when this happens. I'm not crazy, just unfocused.
Although, I am so incredibly focused on music that I don't think I shall soon be focused on much else again. That's why I'm glad college is over for the Summer and that college is over in the first two semesters. Though it was music, it was music other than the music I wanted to focus on and it was certainly needful of attention given it because of the expanding ideas and structures it built in my mind. So it was good. But it's good to be done.
There's a lot of help in this life. It's good, but there comes a point when there's too much help. All this technology and constant get-it-now mindset is exhausting to say the least. Self-help, love online, microwave ovens, etc. It's all around us. So that's exactly where we are. In the midst of all that's around us. In the middle of chaos. Easy to focus on if you aren't careful. So many people monopolize on the depression and general discontentment that they feel and are set on having their entitlements and rights recognized. 'Feel sorry for me,' is the common attitude I see. Even in Christians. I don't wanna be that. I don't wanna go down that path anymore. There's a fire alive inside me and a world that is swiftly ending, but not over yet.
Let the fire out; light up the night.
Andrew R. M. Hanson
Friday, March 13, 2009
Macedonians and Gypsies (Me and Me).
Hey everybody,
When I've been standing for a little bit too long I get to thinking. Because when blood isn't pumping to my muscles it's pumping to my head. That's why I think that I get a headache if I think too long. 'Cause that happens.
I've been thinking, and right now I have absolutely no ambition to write, yet I'm typing out letters on a keyboard. I've been doing this for a while today. This was the last day of school for two weeks. I'm now officially on Spring Break. And where or what am I doing, you ask? Why, traveling to Macedonia of course! Our long enduring mission with the people of this newly independent country is consistently upholding and moving forward. The first six-eighths of the team has already departed and arrived in the country where they have stayed for three days now. Almost four.
Yes, it's been two years since my last visit to the beautiful country of Macedonia and its capital, Skopje (sko-pee-ya). I am anxious to visit once again the city of Veles. What a wonderful, old city full of history and culture. Quite a mixture of culture really, what with the Gypsies in the hills and the Macedonians in the valley. We have found that the Macedonians sometimes do not like to associate with the Gypsy people. Perhaps most of the time. They are reclusive to inter-mingle. However, a wonderful thing is happening that shall surely prove to be a great testimony for our God. The body of Christ in Veles (which is a very small part of the body) is learning and making an effort to connect and have godly relations with the Gypsies. They are attempting to close the racial gap, to bring true unity to the body as Christ had prayed, that the world may know that He and our Father are one. And so that will be part of our mission while we are there.
I will be leaving in two days, Sunday. I suppose it would be good to pack the necessary items for such a trip. I think that I shall do that. Also a good thing to do; Pray. A lot. This trip is really a more personal journey than have been the previous endeavors. I have, over the past year, become more aware of who God is and what it takes on our parts to follow Him, what it means to follow Him. I believe it can tie directly into how the Macedonians and Gypsies relate to one another. For you see, I have a city in me that splits at the lineal seam.
Dreary monotonies wear at your flesh and tell you that you're only growing more sparse and secluded unto yourself, which effects I can see. You begin to realize your identity and what it is that you've tried to portray, you see who it is that you wanted to be and who you have presented to yourself without care of acceptance by yourself. Insecurities and inhibitions, along with regrets, prove that you've become what you've wanted and it left you looking to become something else. The person that you saw in yourself and tried to bring out into professional life is still the embodiment of what it is you hate inside. There's still the fear and there's still the addictions, and the longing for an easier way out.
I've found that true satisfaction in God is the only redemption for all my thinking. When I am truly joyful in Him I can see the form of what He made me to be, and it's not all this questioning why it was better in the old days. It's not trying to prove to myself that I am a success. Christ will take what is actually me, and what I've created becomes nothing but a void. There's a hope and a purpose for tomorrow. The microwave I use to speed me along doesn't really slow time as I assumed. In time I recognize that today is presently upon me and Christ is the director of an act too comedic and epic for any thought process or book full of victories to truly expound upon to the depth of which I have need. He has made us to be like Him. What that is cannot be wholly understood right now through any human mind, but seek understanding and knowledge and wisdom. One day, our self-made embodiments of doubt will die eternally and we will live with absolute freedom, declaring and rejoicing in the satisfaction that Yahweh alone is. Regardless, we will know truth, or the lack thereof. But eventually, we will be one race or the other.
Help me to be the embodiment of You.
Andrew
When I've been standing for a little bit too long I get to thinking. Because when blood isn't pumping to my muscles it's pumping to my head. That's why I think that I get a headache if I think too long. 'Cause that happens.
I've been thinking, and right now I have absolutely no ambition to write, yet I'm typing out letters on a keyboard. I've been doing this for a while today. This was the last day of school for two weeks. I'm now officially on Spring Break. And where or what am I doing, you ask? Why, traveling to Macedonia of course! Our long enduring mission with the people of this newly independent country is consistently upholding and moving forward. The first six-eighths of the team has already departed and arrived in the country where they have stayed for three days now. Almost four.
Yes, it's been two years since my last visit to the beautiful country of Macedonia and its capital, Skopje (sko-pee-ya). I am anxious to visit once again the city of Veles. What a wonderful, old city full of history and culture. Quite a mixture of culture really, what with the Gypsies in the hills and the Macedonians in the valley. We have found that the Macedonians sometimes do not like to associate with the Gypsy people. Perhaps most of the time. They are reclusive to inter-mingle. However, a wonderful thing is happening that shall surely prove to be a great testimony for our God. The body of Christ in Veles (which is a very small part of the body) is learning and making an effort to connect and have godly relations with the Gypsies. They are attempting to close the racial gap, to bring true unity to the body as Christ had prayed, that the world may know that He and our Father are one. And so that will be part of our mission while we are there.
I will be leaving in two days, Sunday. I suppose it would be good to pack the necessary items for such a trip. I think that I shall do that. Also a good thing to do; Pray. A lot. This trip is really a more personal journey than have been the previous endeavors. I have, over the past year, become more aware of who God is and what it takes on our parts to follow Him, what it means to follow Him. I believe it can tie directly into how the Macedonians and Gypsies relate to one another. For you see, I have a city in me that splits at the lineal seam.
Dreary monotonies wear at your flesh and tell you that you're only growing more sparse and secluded unto yourself, which effects I can see. You begin to realize your identity and what it is that you've tried to portray, you see who it is that you wanted to be and who you have presented to yourself without care of acceptance by yourself. Insecurities and inhibitions, along with regrets, prove that you've become what you've wanted and it left you looking to become something else. The person that you saw in yourself and tried to bring out into professional life is still the embodiment of what it is you hate inside. There's still the fear and there's still the addictions, and the longing for an easier way out.
I've found that true satisfaction in God is the only redemption for all my thinking. When I am truly joyful in Him I can see the form of what He made me to be, and it's not all this questioning why it was better in the old days. It's not trying to prove to myself that I am a success. Christ will take what is actually me, and what I've created becomes nothing but a void. There's a hope and a purpose for tomorrow. The microwave I use to speed me along doesn't really slow time as I assumed. In time I recognize that today is presently upon me and Christ is the director of an act too comedic and epic for any thought process or book full of victories to truly expound upon to the depth of which I have need. He has made us to be like Him. What that is cannot be wholly understood right now through any human mind, but seek understanding and knowledge and wisdom. One day, our self-made embodiments of doubt will die eternally and we will live with absolute freedom, declaring and rejoicing in the satisfaction that Yahweh alone is. Regardless, we will know truth, or the lack thereof. But eventually, we will be one race or the other.
Help me to be the embodiment of You.
Andrew
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Hello all,
I've not put to paper my thoughts for quite a time now. The time has moved by and so much has happened. Uncertainties manifested in the winds about my effort have turned my mind from side to side and developed a renewed mindset where I think I might be less contradictory to my pursuit of structure. The rock where I stand is not where I believed I had stood before.
God, it's uncomfortable to get to know You. Your will and not my own is hard to realize. I've said that very truth before and yet never realized the depth of understanding necessary to incorporate such a demanding life style. Words can do allot and they can cover allot.
I'm not sure if I can fully describe the word, love. The most meaningful explanation that I've heard recently is that it's not stimulation, but inspiration. It's not the instant gratification of what we feel as a result of the verb. Or even the shove we need to cause movement toward our goals. No, it is the setting of new goals, the conceiving of an alternate end to our means, and there by, the changing of those. The idea and presence of love constitutes a resolve beyond acting on motivation and invokes the tangible need for raising the ability to implement and tackle goals that precede the vision it has instilled within us.
I tend to be apprehensive when it comes to giving myself fully over to something. Caution is my portion. I have developed the philosophy, through disappointment and grief, of moderation in all things. I still stand by that principle, but couple with it another philosophy saying, love inspires. And I have been inspired. The effects of this are becoming evident in my life and the need for drastic, unbalanced action seems evermore constant. This is unsettling to my person. I believe, having become so determined to find the balance I was looking for, that I had given weight to a complacency which destroyed what contentment I tried to display. My thoughts were of a restless nature and my order was of chaos. I was a lop-sided scale.
Now love is driving me to a change that is not of my own thinking. I've gotta become the man I was created to be. Lord, give me diligence.
I've not put to paper my thoughts for quite a time now. The time has moved by and so much has happened. Uncertainties manifested in the winds about my effort have turned my mind from side to side and developed a renewed mindset where I think I might be less contradictory to my pursuit of structure. The rock where I stand is not where I believed I had stood before.
God, it's uncomfortable to get to know You. Your will and not my own is hard to realize. I've said that very truth before and yet never realized the depth of understanding necessary to incorporate such a demanding life style. Words can do allot and they can cover allot.
I'm not sure if I can fully describe the word, love. The most meaningful explanation that I've heard recently is that it's not stimulation, but inspiration. It's not the instant gratification of what we feel as a result of the verb. Or even the shove we need to cause movement toward our goals. No, it is the setting of new goals, the conceiving of an alternate end to our means, and there by, the changing of those. The idea and presence of love constitutes a resolve beyond acting on motivation and invokes the tangible need for raising the ability to implement and tackle goals that precede the vision it has instilled within us.
I tend to be apprehensive when it comes to giving myself fully over to something. Caution is my portion. I have developed the philosophy, through disappointment and grief, of moderation in all things. I still stand by that principle, but couple with it another philosophy saying, love inspires. And I have been inspired. The effects of this are becoming evident in my life and the need for drastic, unbalanced action seems evermore constant. This is unsettling to my person. I believe, having become so determined to find the balance I was looking for, that I had given weight to a complacency which destroyed what contentment I tried to display. My thoughts were of a restless nature and my order was of chaos. I was a lop-sided scale.
Now love is driving me to a change that is not of my own thinking. I've gotta become the man I was created to be. Lord, give me diligence.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
An Oration
These are notes from a message I recently preached. I typed the notes on Blogger so that I could access them from anywhere I needed to and print them out. This is the first message I've orated publicly. It went rather well. 20 minutes flat. I decided to go ahead and publish it to give you a little insight on what's happening in my life right now and hopefully give you some deeper understanding of the passage in Ephesians, Chapter 6:10-18, and specifically verse 15. I was endowed with a broader knowledge concerning this piece of Scripture. You'll have to excuse the rather scattered nature of the notes. I didn't re-touch them at all from what I had originally composed. Here you go!
Joshua 10:24 - And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet on the necks of them.
25 - And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
Joshua was the appointed leader of Israel. God had entrusted him with this time to be the influence that would guide the course of History and continue the development of Creation. He was a determined, courageous man of action and had walked through the barriers of the promised land, led by Israel's God.
The Lord has already, up to this point in the Scriptures, given His chosen Nation many victories over their enemies as they press onward in their pursuit of God's will. The dwellers of the land stand firmly against these invaders and oppose them with relentless violence and resolve to keep their land. But as we read, we see their attempts thwarted time and time again by the Almighty.
If you read the entire chapter of Joshua 10, you'll see several examples of Gods' hand upon His people, giving their enemies over to defeat. He went with them in all their battles and Joshua spurred them on, following the Lords' command. We can approach our enemies in the same way to defeat them. How are we to fight against our enemies?
3 Points in Dealing with our Enemies
1: Is God our God?
If He is not, the enemies we encounter and clash with are insignificant. We are either with God or against Him. He specifically tells us in His Word that He will not receive us if we are lukewarm in our pursuit of Him. That means that we are either chasing after God whole-heartedly, or we are fighting against Him. If we are enemies of God, what is the importance of defeating our own adversaries?
Ultimately, God will judge you and me and all of our enemies. I don't want to defeat my enemies and remain an enemy of God. Before examining who our enemies are, let us examine ourselves and release our desires to be guided by the Lord, that we can become friends of God.
2: Who are our enemies?
Those who blaspheme and deny the sovereignty of Gods' name, and mock those who call on His name. Those who oppose us in our pursuit of God. People wishing to harm us. These are a few examples of enemies that we may face in our lives. God has not placed these enemies in our lives. Rather, He has placed us in the lives of our enemies that we can overcome them.
3: How to fight our enemies.
We do not fight against flesh and blood. We wrestle with principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness in this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We need the full armor of God to stand against these spiritual armies.
In specific reference to our enemies, it is important to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Your feet are used for spreading the Gospel. And God wants to hand our enemies to us to bring them to the knowledge and trust in Him. Preach the Gospel to our enemies? Yes!
He is sending us out into a foreign land to conquer and claim it as His. Our enemies will come against us, but God has given us the power we need to step on their throats; to silence them with the good news. We must be prepared to share the Gospel at all times. When we are fully equipped with the Armor of God we leave our enemies no room for excuse. We as well have no excuse for neglecting to pursue and overcome the enemies in this time we've been given.
God has given us the land. He has given us an allotted amount of time to live. He has already overcome the world. Be strong and courageous and press on from victory to victory. God has placed your enemy under your feet.
Joshua 10:24 - And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet on the necks of them.
25 - And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the Lord do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.
Joshua was the appointed leader of Israel. God had entrusted him with this time to be the influence that would guide the course of History and continue the development of Creation. He was a determined, courageous man of action and had walked through the barriers of the promised land, led by Israel's God.
The Lord has already, up to this point in the Scriptures, given His chosen Nation many victories over their enemies as they press onward in their pursuit of God's will. The dwellers of the land stand firmly against these invaders and oppose them with relentless violence and resolve to keep their land. But as we read, we see their attempts thwarted time and time again by the Almighty.
If you read the entire chapter of Joshua 10, you'll see several examples of Gods' hand upon His people, giving their enemies over to defeat. He went with them in all their battles and Joshua spurred them on, following the Lords' command. We can approach our enemies in the same way to defeat them. How are we to fight against our enemies?
3 Points in Dealing with our Enemies
1: Is God our God?
If He is not, the enemies we encounter and clash with are insignificant. We are either with God or against Him. He specifically tells us in His Word that He will not receive us if we are lukewarm in our pursuit of Him. That means that we are either chasing after God whole-heartedly, or we are fighting against Him. If we are enemies of God, what is the importance of defeating our own adversaries?
Ultimately, God will judge you and me and all of our enemies. I don't want to defeat my enemies and remain an enemy of God. Before examining who our enemies are, let us examine ourselves and release our desires to be guided by the Lord, that we can become friends of God.
2: Who are our enemies?
Those who blaspheme and deny the sovereignty of Gods' name, and mock those who call on His name. Those who oppose us in our pursuit of God. People wishing to harm us. These are a few examples of enemies that we may face in our lives. God has not placed these enemies in our lives. Rather, He has placed us in the lives of our enemies that we can overcome them.
3: How to fight our enemies.
We do not fight against flesh and blood. We wrestle with principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness in this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. We need the full armor of God to stand against these spiritual armies.
In specific reference to our enemies, it is important to have our feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. Your feet are used for spreading the Gospel. And God wants to hand our enemies to us to bring them to the knowledge and trust in Him. Preach the Gospel to our enemies? Yes!
He is sending us out into a foreign land to conquer and claim it as His. Our enemies will come against us, but God has given us the power we need to step on their throats; to silence them with the good news. We must be prepared to share the Gospel at all times. When we are fully equipped with the Armor of God we leave our enemies no room for excuse. We as well have no excuse for neglecting to pursue and overcome the enemies in this time we've been given.
God has given us the land. He has given us an allotted amount of time to live. He has already overcome the world. Be strong and courageous and press on from victory to victory. God has placed your enemy under your feet.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
And Now, a Fiction: Killer Apes
There once were a million killer apes in the world. No, a thousand, sorry. So, the killer apes were mighty warriors for their race, which consisted of all different types of apes, such as killer monkeys and killer dogs. Now, it came to pass that in the year 19010, the apes amassed an army. They destroyed the entire world with one stroke of their iron fist, known only as Tenopolis. Now that the world was theirs they decided to have all kinds of fun in the newfound emptiness that was throughout all still existing.
One. Two. Three. The gorillas knew how to organize their time super good. They could count, drive; there was nothing to stop their eternal reign of terror. Except one thing, the thing that could ultimately overthrow the entire world without a single thought; themselves. This was a detrimental and overpowering thought for the younger in this pack, so they decided to kill everybody, knowing that this was precisely the transpiring event they so soundly opposed. But what was to entreat their understanding to such a level, that they may realize the folly of their plan, being the only unapologetic truth they heard was that they were going to die and that there really was no truth to what that meant? They had to do something and what their instincts told them to do was to simply kill all that may bring about the demise of all, and in so doing (either unknowingly or non-admittedly) destroy their very hope of survival through their attempts at conserving the same. After all, did their guides and role models die? A probably yes. And a definite yes. And after the elders were destroyed a threat still remained among the young and the peace was not resolved through the violence but rather utterly obliterated. Turning against each other, they undid their existence.
This was not a story condemning violence. This is not a tale depicting any bitter means by which individuals may act or react in any way. This is a story of the undoing of a generation that looked up and saw preceding them indecision and relative means of depicting morality. What you have just read is a story of relative truth.
The End
One. Two. Three. The gorillas knew how to organize their time super good. They could count, drive; there was nothing to stop their eternal reign of terror. Except one thing, the thing that could ultimately overthrow the entire world without a single thought; themselves. This was a detrimental and overpowering thought for the younger in this pack, so they decided to kill everybody, knowing that this was precisely the transpiring event they so soundly opposed. But what was to entreat their understanding to such a level, that they may realize the folly of their plan, being the only unapologetic truth they heard was that they were going to die and that there really was no truth to what that meant? They had to do something and what their instincts told them to do was to simply kill all that may bring about the demise of all, and in so doing (either unknowingly or non-admittedly) destroy their very hope of survival through their attempts at conserving the same. After all, did their guides and role models die? A probably yes. And a definite yes. And after the elders were destroyed a threat still remained among the young and the peace was not resolved through the violence but rather utterly obliterated. Turning against each other, they undid their existence.
This was not a story condemning violence. This is not a tale depicting any bitter means by which individuals may act or react in any way. This is a story of the undoing of a generation that looked up and saw preceding them indecision and relative means of depicting morality. What you have just read is a story of relative truth.
The End
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Happy Resurrection Sunday!
Today produced another wonderful service in my congregation. The sun occassionally peeked from behind the water hovering in the sky and all the birds were singing pretty lively and loudly. After rising and arriving at the church, I led my praise team to join in the noise. We struck an immaculate tone in keeping with the theme of celebrations for today, singing two numbers rather than the usual five or six, to begin a service slightly different than usual.
You see, the Pastor, along with his son and daughter, my brother Daniel and two other members of the congregation are in Macedonia at this time until the 1st of April carrying out a mission to bring understanding of doctrine to the rather new Pastors and the Christian church there. The Orthodox Catholic Church has dominated that country for hundreds of years and their thinking is constricted by such things as praying to the Saints and using rituals to secure blessing and put off curses. The Pastor we have been working with over the past year is very much against these religious practices, is sound and humble. My mother and I met him on the first trip to Macedonia when we scouted the grounds in preparation for the establishment of an on going ministry there. Now we support several pastors and some Bible School students.
Being Pastor George is out of the country continuing this outreach, his wife, Pastor Jill, officiated thismorning, and a special singer, Todd Uptdahl, performed a bit of an Easter concert with intemittent pieces of a message connecting the songs. The sermon came from his own recent experience of forgiving himself and led to a poignant climax restating and reawakening the knowledge of why we celebrate this wonderous day. Today brought about the first service in a while in which I was able to sit and enjoy anothers' musical performance rather than being the main performer, which I do really enjoy. But a break from weekly routine is nice as well. :)
As I sat on the front pew listening to the words, I found that they all had such palatable meaning, though I may have heard the song a hundred times before. Songs of forgivness, hope and optimism. Songs of melancholy and upbeat lyrical tunes celebrating the better parts of living this life. The western-toned melodies played clearly through the air and the bass-driven choruses rumbled through the creaky wood seating, physically giving you the impression of riding over a smooth, country, dirt road. Immutable joy.
During our sound check before service, Todd asked me to sing the ending song, How Great is Our God, with him. I'd never attempted that number before, but concluded that the tune was familiar enough in my own head and the words would be on a stand in the center of the stage, prompting me to agree and sing. The contrast of our voices paralleled in the sound system was surprising and, though we sung no harmonies to the melody, rendered a diverse tone reflective of harmonic riffs and low notes in concomitance. Anyway, it sounded good. Really good.
A wonderful celebration. Now I'm just veggin' out. I'll see ya around!
Andrew R. M. Hanson
Today produced another wonderful service in my congregation. The sun occassionally peeked from behind the water hovering in the sky and all the birds were singing pretty lively and loudly. After rising and arriving at the church, I led my praise team to join in the noise. We struck an immaculate tone in keeping with the theme of celebrations for today, singing two numbers rather than the usual five or six, to begin a service slightly different than usual.
You see, the Pastor, along with his son and daughter, my brother Daniel and two other members of the congregation are in Macedonia at this time until the 1st of April carrying out a mission to bring understanding of doctrine to the rather new Pastors and the Christian church there. The Orthodox Catholic Church has dominated that country for hundreds of years and their thinking is constricted by such things as praying to the Saints and using rituals to secure blessing and put off curses. The Pastor we have been working with over the past year is very much against these religious practices, is sound and humble. My mother and I met him on the first trip to Macedonia when we scouted the grounds in preparation for the establishment of an on going ministry there. Now we support several pastors and some Bible School students.
Being Pastor George is out of the country continuing this outreach, his wife, Pastor Jill, officiated thismorning, and a special singer, Todd Uptdahl, performed a bit of an Easter concert with intemittent pieces of a message connecting the songs. The sermon came from his own recent experience of forgiving himself and led to a poignant climax restating and reawakening the knowledge of why we celebrate this wonderous day. Today brought about the first service in a while in which I was able to sit and enjoy anothers' musical performance rather than being the main performer, which I do really enjoy. But a break from weekly routine is nice as well. :)
As I sat on the front pew listening to the words, I found that they all had such palatable meaning, though I may have heard the song a hundred times before. Songs of forgivness, hope and optimism. Songs of melancholy and upbeat lyrical tunes celebrating the better parts of living this life. The western-toned melodies played clearly through the air and the bass-driven choruses rumbled through the creaky wood seating, physically giving you the impression of riding over a smooth, country, dirt road. Immutable joy.
During our sound check before service, Todd asked me to sing the ending song, How Great is Our God, with him. I'd never attempted that number before, but concluded that the tune was familiar enough in my own head and the words would be on a stand in the center of the stage, prompting me to agree and sing. The contrast of our voices paralleled in the sound system was surprising and, though we sung no harmonies to the melody, rendered a diverse tone reflective of harmonic riffs and low notes in concomitance. Anyway, it sounded good. Really good.
A wonderful celebration. Now I'm just veggin' out. I'll see ya around!
Andrew R. M. Hanson
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)