Should Christians Observe the Passover?

Mar26
Here is a blog I did seven years ago which I would like to “re-post” today as it is extremely relevant to the current worldwide Corona Virus pandemic.  I believe if God’s people will pray and appropriate the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus or Yeshua) today, as done millenniums ago by the Israelites who were released from their bondage that night, we can see an ending to this terrible plague and move into victory through His blood!  Though not able to observe this together, we as believers can virtually or symbolically claim God’s promises and protection from illness over our homes!  Please read on:

]Every Biblical Dinner I am so blessed to see all the happy faces enjoying the message, the fellowship and the food.

I am in Tonopah, Nevada for a few days with my husband, a professional engineer, who is on a consulting job for a gold mine near here. Pretty neat, huh? This picturesque small town nestled amid the mountains in the “high country” between Las Vegas and Reno, near the California border, was the perfect setting to observe the beautiful full “Passover” moon last night. My husband and I read the Passover story from Exodus 12, particularly verse 14, “So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.” (NKJV) Should this verse be ignored as it seems to be by  many churches? What does it mean to us as Christians today?

“Passover” was the night described in this chapter where God struck dead the firstborn children and animals of all the Egyptians, but “passed over” the Israelites who had, by God’s decree, slain an unblemished lamb at twilight and put its blood on their doorposts. When the death angel saw the blood, he “passed over” that house and allowed their firstborn to live! This is why the Jewish people to this day observe the anniversary of this mighty miracle wrought by Yahweh to free His people from slavery! I was pleasantly surprised to see on the news this morning that our president and his wife even observed a “seder” (Passover meal) at the Whitehouse last night with a number of guests.

We know that our Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua, completely fulfilled the Passover by His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood as the final sacrifice needed for our salvation! This is the fundamental core doctrine of all Christians who believe in salvation by grace. But, knowing that Christ fulfilled this event, wouldn’t it be great to use this holy day as a teaching tool for our children, as mentioned in Exodus 12 by God? I remember we used to have a special meal of lamb on this night, as did the Israelite people of old, and we put a little stuffed lamb by each child’s plate signifying that Jesus is the Lamb of God. They remember the event to this day!

Some would argue that we are not Jewish, hence we need not observe any of these ceremonies because Christ fulfilled the ceremonial laws! I quite agree that He did; however, let us remember that the Jewish people are descended from only one of the twelve tribes of Israel (thirteen actually, as the sons of “Joseph” were actually divided into two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh, by his father Israel, known as Jacob, when he gave them the inheritance before his death).  There are twelve other tribes, known as the “lost tribes” which have been integrated into other societies throughout the world. You may very well be an Israelite! Does that surprise you? Well, without getting into the devisive teaching of whether or not there are two “houses”, the House of Israel and the House of Judah, as mentioned in the Word, let us just say that observing some sort of “Passover” remembrance is certainly not wrong, and a wonderful opportunity to thank and praise our Heavenly Father for His wondeful miracle of letting His people go from the land of Egypt!  Besides, as children of God, born into His family through conversion and the New Birth, we are by adoption the seed of Abraham and may rightfully claim all of the privileges and blessings promised to him so many years ago! I love Isaiah 41:8, “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the descendants of Abraham My friend.” (NKJV) This verse speaks about Jacob (Israel) being “God’s chosen”. It says nothing about only the tribe of Judah being His “chosen”. This blesses me, because I know I am “God’s chosen” and have the right to partake of His blessings!  I believe that as true Christian believers, we partake of “Passover” when we observe the Lord’s Supper, which is what Jesus (Yeshua) did with his disciples the night He was betrayed and then arrested.  He has commanded us to do the same “in remembrance of His death”.

The Apostle Paul states in Romans 11:1, “I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.” (NKJV) Any who are physically or spiritually descended from one of the tribes of Israel can claim all the promises God made to His people through Abraham and later Moses. God (Yahweh) sent His Son, Jesus (Yeshua), to be that blood sacrifice and sin offering necessary for our atonement. Thus, He fulfilled Passover and the Day of Atonement when He was crucified on the Cross just before Passover. He then arose at the end of the Sabbath (the Bible speaks about the dawning towards the first day of the week, which would be Sunday, when the women discovered the empty tomb). We are not sure exactly when He arose, but the word “dawning” is also translated “dusking” in the original Greek text, indicating He probably came forth at the end of the Sabbath, around sundown. As you are probably aware, the Jewish days begin and end at sundown. When I think of Jesus fulfilling the atonement required for righteousness, the Passover observances, as well as the Sabbath, I get very excited and want to shout and sing! I know this blog is supposed to be about music, and I see a whole symphony of music played in this story! Happy Passover and Resurrection Sunday, everyone! Be blessed in Yeshua’s Name!

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How God Worked in J.S. Bach’s Life

Mar21

File:Johann Sebastian Bach.jpg

Perhaps the greatest musician of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach, widely considered to be the “Father of Modern Music”, had cause to wonder if God was really with him when he went through some severe struggles in his lifetime!

Today is Bach’s 328th birthday! This great composer was born in Eisenach, Germany on March 21, 1685 into a family that had been prominent on the musical scene in Europe for centuries! His father was the director of the town musicians and most likely started young Johann on the violin and basics of music theory. However, as the eighth child in a family of fourteen children, he was no doubt devastated when his mother passed away when he was only nine years old; just eight months later, his father also died. How tragic that the greatest musician of all time was an orphan at the age of ten!

But God, in His sovereignty, had a plan and purpose for young Johann’s life far beyond what he could have imagined! Even though it seemed that life was somehow unfair to this young lad, God showed once again that Romans 8:28 was true! This passage says, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (KJV)  Young Johann had been schooled in the scriptures from an early age and had a faith in God that was real. His parents had seen to it that his religious education was sound and as devout followers of Martin Luther, they instilled into their son a Godly heritage.

Johann’s oldest brother, Johann Christopher Bach, invited the boy to come live with him. It just so happened that he was the organist in a large church in the area, and because of this, Johann was able to study, perform and copy music from his brother’s repertory. He received extremely valuable instruction from him on an individual level that he might never have obtained had his parents lived. He was instructed on the clavichord and harpsichord, in addition to the organ, and this early training could well have culminated in one of his crowning achievements, “The Well Tempered Clavier”.  Later he attended music conservatories and studied more extensively with some of the great musicians of his day. But, this early training gleaned from his time living with his brother was the foundation for all that would come later, including his keyboard, organ and chamber music; concertos; cantatas; and other orchestral works that have been revered for centuries! In fact, Beethoven called him “the original father of harmony” and we know that he perfected the musical scale we use today.

Did God have a purpose for his life? The answer is an emphatic yes! We know he was a devout Christian and that sacred music was at the center of his repertory. He regarded his music as “an act of prayer” and stated, “I play my music to the glory of God!” Once when Bach was about 32 years old, he desired to accept a post which would have given him more money and been advantageous to his career. The duke under whom he was currently serving became infuriated, had him arrested and thrown in jail for a month. During this time Bach wrote a cycle of organ chorale preludes for a year which were later published in Germany and are still available! Once again, God used a seemingly negative circumstance to His glory!

When he was just 35 years old, he went on a tour of Europe with the prince by whom he was employed, playing the harpsichord for European aristocracy, along with a musical entourage. When he returned home he found his wife of nearly thirteen years, Maria, dead and buried while he was on tour. She had been completely healthy when he left. Sadly, their four young children were now motherless. Did Bach give up and allow himself to succumb to bitterness and self-pity? Indeed not! Johann turned in an even greater measure to composing and playing the music of God and the church he loved! It was after this time that he composed most of his greatest chorales based on sacred texts, even while he served as cantor, musical director and organist in the church. He spent the majority of his life composing and playing music that glorified God and His Word!  A year later he met and married a young woman named Anna Magdalena and to this day we play many of the works she translated into notebooks for their twelve young children to practice during their daily home schooling!

As we celebrate the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach today, let’s remember that he was an ordinary human being such as you and me, and that despite the setbacks and trials of life, he chose to let God work a greater work in him through these events, culminating in music that endures and blesses people to this day!  I feel sure he is enjoying the rewards of his labors in Heaven, singing and making melody with the angels and the saints of God who have gone on before!

The “Dumbing Down” of Music?

Mar14

OK, so maybe this doesn’t sound like the most “spiritual” topic to you; perhaps you think I am just going to “vent” about some of my pet peeves concerning music today, especially as it relates to the current church scene.  Well, please bear with me.  I think you’ll find some interesting observations here that may even get you thinking about some issues you may not have thought of!

A few weeks ago my husband and I visited a nearby church that featured a very “free” style contemporary praise band.  Although it was loud, it wasn’t any different than countless other churches I had been in which featured the same style of “three chord” simplistic “praise” music, complete with several guitars, drums, keyboards, etc.  You get my drift!  Anyway, about twenty minutes into the worship, the lady seated directly in front of us started to put her hands over her ears as if in intense pain.  I hoped she was OK!  Then, she whispered something to her husband and left the sanctuary.  I assumed she wouldn’t be back until the worship was over; it was quite apparent she found the music too loud for her ears.  Well, to my great surprise, she emerged again in just a couple of minutes with two ear plugs in her hands, which she promptly put in and continued sitting by her husband!  Needless to say, I don’t think she was getting much out of the worship!

In sharp contrast, we recently visited a rehearsal for a world-renowned church choir with a more liturgical or classical slant to their music.  As they sang, I noticed the woman sitting in front of me began wiping tears from her eyes as she pulled a hanky from her purse.  Obviously, she was greatly moved emotionally by the song and the tears followed.

Now, what do these two incidents have in common, you may ask?  To my mind, it seemed as if the first woman, who was obviously there to worship, was not getting a thing out of the musical service.  She was “enduring” it!  In sharp contrast, the second woman was moved to tears by the sheer emotion exuded by a great composer and glorious choir and was obviously touched somewhere down in her soul!

I have read many times Psalm 33:3, “Sing unto Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy.”  (NKJV)

I’ve used this verse so many times to encourage people to take piano (or another instrument) lessons, or even learn to sing properly, when I had my teaching studio in Texas for over 28 years.  As a student of classical music myself, I have a deep appreciation for good music, properly performed.  Badly performed music leaves me cold!   When a person has sung or played beautiful, challenging music with intricate and fascinating chord structures and patterns, such as I have, it is extremely difficult not to be bored with the current three chord “pablum” being offered up as the sole choice for any given worship service in many churches.  Any other alternative, such as time-honored hymns written by revered musicians, men and women of God, are sadly viewed as absolutely unacceptable in some churches!  It sometimes appears that the churches who wish to have a “free” worship style and move into “praise and worship” also fail to utilize great music and seasoned, well-trained musicians who can play “skillfully” as the Word mentions in Psalms.  It seems to be the “dumbing down” of music!

Interestingly,  Numbers 8:24-26 speaks of the Levites (the priests) serving in the tabernacle from the age of 25-50.  In I Chronicles   23:3-5  we read that the Levites from the age of 30 and up numbered 38,000 and of that number 24,000 were to carry forward the work of the house of the Lord.  Of this number, we read in verse 5:  “…four thousand praised the Lord with the instruments which I made, said David to praise therewith.” (KJV)  I want to get into this whole concept of trained, paid temple musicians more in future postings, but suffice it to say that by reading about the Levites, many of whom were musicians, we see that they were first of all trained, then spent many years actually performing as musicians before spending the last part of their lives teaching the next generation of musicians coming up!  In II Chronicles 20 we read that the singers and musicians led the  army against the enemy as they sang and praised God!  Verse 28 mentions “stringed instruments and harps and trumpets, to the house of the Lord.”  (NKJV)

It is obvious (and we will get into this subject more later) that these were skilled musicians,  anointed by God to lead the praise and worship!  Is there room for more than one type of music in our worship today?  I think that the answer is emphatically, yes!  Different styles minister to different people; it has not as much to do with age as with preference.  Does everyone like the same kind of food or pick the same thing at a buffet?  Do we all order the same food off the menu?  The same is true with our musical tastes.  Skilled musicians are going to have a greater appreciation for a deeper type of musical genre than someone who has had no musical training, perhaps.  Should we honor differing musical tastes in our worship times?  I believe we should!  If someone is not worshiping, but using ear plugs to endure, perhaps the whole idea of helping everyone enter into the presence of God has been lost!

Let’s stop picking apart each other’s musical tastes and admit that God loves variety and diversity.  Why not help each other enter into worship by respecting  various musical preferences and allow skilled, trained musicians to help us enter into the presence of God!

Benefits of Praise and Worship

Feb14

Today is Valentine’s Day and the whole world is thinking about love, sweet love! Well, that is almost everybody. I just heard on our local news about three people being murdered in a supposed “drug house” by a man, according to the reporters, who had posters and pictures about love plastered all over the apartment he shared with his girlfriend. Obviously, his kind of love was pretty superficial if he could go out and kill three people! Needless to say, we have all heard about the ex-cop in California who murdered at least four people in an effort to “clear his name” for perceived injustices he suffered at the hands of the LAPD. He allowed bitterness and unforgiveness over the fact he was fired from his job to completely consume him and take over his emotions, eventually resulting in the tragic circumstances we have all seen on every major network in the country of late!

Last night my husband and I read the wonderful story of Joseph in the book of Genesis. I had heard this story from the time I was a tiny girl, read to me by my mother. But it was so exciting to refresh my memory on the events that transpired in this young man’s life: He was sold into slavery at age 17 by his brothers (whom he should have been able to trust!); lied about by the wife of his master when he rebuffed her sexual advances and she felt rejected; thrown into prison because his master believed his wife’s lies; made to live in a dungeon for two years in prison with common criminals; finally released to become Pharaoh’s chief ruler in charge of all of Egypt’s food preservation in preparation for famine, obeyed and bowed to by all! Read the story for yourself in Genesis chapters 37-45. It makes our modern-day soap operas and mini-series pale in comparison!

When Joseph could easily have become consumed with bitterness and hatred for his brothers for what they had done to him, he chose rather to trust in the Lord his God and believe him to turn this evil situation into good. God’s favor was so apparent in his life and he was able to save many other lives, including those of his family, because of his position as head of food storage in Egypt. He truly is an Old Testament example of Paul’s words in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” (KJV)

Another example of God’s deliverance when things were seemingly hopeless is recorded in Acts 16:19-40 when Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison for preaching and casting a demon out of a young woman. Did they cry and feel sorry for themselves, wondering why God would allow this to happen to them when they were out preaching the Word? No, instead we read in verses 25 and 26, “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.” (KJV)

Did you catch the concept here? God brought deliverance to them after they began to sing praises to Him! Instead of allowing bitterness, anger and a “poor me” attitude to envelop them, they chose to praise and worship the One to whom they gave their allegiance and love, glorifying Him in music, choosing to proclaim His love and mercy, rather than cry out about their beaten and bloody backs. They did not apparently go to the authorities and complain about how their “rights” had been violated; they did not call the local media to see how they could bring these terrible atrocities to the attention of the public; they simply praised and worshipped the Lord and He delivered them! He took delight in what they were doing; He saw them there in the prison and came to their rescue by using such an extreme measure as sending an earthquake! That is a wonderful example of the mighty God we serve!

If you are facing some crisis in your life today, if things seem impossible from the natural point of view, I challenge you to begin to praise and worship the Creator, the One who does not change, and watch Him work on your behalf! The Word says He “dwells” in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)! I want Him dwelling with me, don’t you? I challenge you not to give into bitterness as did these two men who murdered a number of people as a result of anger and self pity, but give those seemingly unfair, unjustified incidents in your life over to God who will vindicate you and cause you to be an overcomer! The benefits to your daily life will be enormous. Begin to be a worshipper, for He loves to hear your praises!

What is Real Worship?

Feb8

In the Word of God, David says in II Samuel 24:24, “…nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” (NKJV)

What does this really mean to us today as we attempt to find out what God really wants from our worship?  Obviously, we no longer need to bring burnt offerings to the Lord, for Jesus Christ fulfilled this requirement for sin when He died upon the cross 2,000 years ago.  He became the “sin offering” or “burnt offering” for us as the sinless Lamb of God.  So, in reality, He has completed the work and there is nothing more for us to do to atone for our sins if we have received Him as our personal Saviour!

However, I believe that God is pleased with our praises when we offer them up to Him as “a living sacrifice” (Romans 12:1).  Another great reference about this is Hebrews 13:15 which reads, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (NKJV)  So, actually, we are offering up a sacrifice to God every time we open our mouths to praise Him!  The “fruit of our lips” is the joyful noise we make in word and song as we praise and worship the King of Kings!  David also wrote in Psalm 22:3 that God “inhabits (or lives in) the praises of Israel.”  We have all the promises of Abraham available to us today, including the assurance that our Lord will “inhabit” or live in our praises!  How exciting is this!  If you want to feel God’s presence dwelling with you each day and experience His blessings, protection, guidance, healing and abundance, just begin to lift your voice up to Him in praise!  I assure you that He will be very present in every area of your life as you begin to do this.

Praise and worship are not just limited to church.  It is not necessary to have a robed cleric speaking eloquently or a magnificent choir singing anthems of praise to enter into God’s presence.  Nor is it necessary to have a praise band with loud music blaring and strobe lights flashing to feel the spirit!  Perhaps you like the traditional, beautiful, anointed hymns of the church revered for centuries!  Maybe your taste is more to the three-chord contemporary songs played with guitars and percussion.  You may like the foot-stomping “Pentecostal”  choruses, the toe-tapping Southern Gospel songs or the powerfully sung Black Gospel melodies with intricate jazz chord patterns!  We all have our favorites; I know what mine are and you know what you prefer.  The real heart of the matter is this:  None of these things alone can bring, or are necessary for, the presence of God in your life!  You can worship Him anywhere, anytime, day or night, and He will hear and respond to your praise.  He will hear your cries for help; He will answer your longing, searching heart!  You will know that He is on His throne and that He has everything in your life under control.  It is a very freeing experience, because true worship transcends denominational barriers; it transcends barriers of style as to types of music; and, above all, it is pleasing to God.  It is not about us; it is about Him and how we can proclaim His “worth-ship”, if you will.  We were created to worship; God made us for His pleasure and if you are not worshipping there will be a huge void in your life that only companionship with Him can fill!  No lover, no spouse, no child, no close friend or relative can ever fill the void that God has reserved for Himself alone!  As we communicate in this way with Him, He communicates back to us in our spirits and we are filled, in the same way one feels full after a good meal.

If you have never been in the habit of worshipping, I urge you to begin today!  Putting on some great praise music (any style you enjoy!) is a great idea.  Then, get alone and just begin to praise and worship your Creator for who He is.  Download worship music on your iPod or play background music on the radio.  Worship involves every area of our lives, not just music, but this is certainly a good place to begin.  It is truly the foundation for the other acts of worship (such as kindness to our families and neighbors, serving God in our communities by feeding and clothing the homeless and suffering, ministering to our church families, etc.) that should be a part of every Christian’s life!  I challenge you to give Him your sacrifice of praise daily!

 

Why Does Music Stir Our Emotions?

Feb5

Have you ever had a “down” day or been a bit depressed only to feel your spirits lifted dramatically when you heard a beautiful song?  Or perhaps, in contrast, you were feeling pretty good and a terrible song that just “jarred” you came on the rado, prompting you to “turn it off” and go find your iPod with the songs you like on it!  What causes a person to hear an old song from “way back” and immediately know exactly where you were and what you were doing when that song was played the first time? It can conjure up deep emotions, such as a lost love, dear ones who have passed away, or profound sadness or joy.

I was fascinated when I interviewed a man who had his doctorate in bio physics on my TV show a few years back.  As I visited with him over the course of a couple of programs, he detailed something I had been unaware of: geometric fractals evident in music!  Of course geometry and fractals are present in every aspect of creation and the world around us.  I just had never realized what a big part they play in the composition of music!  If you are interested at all in this, do an online search for “fractals in music” and you will be amazed!  Some of this is very technical for the average non-mathematician like me (trust me on this one!), but as a musician I was especially interested in something he told me.  Studies have been conducted on various types of music and their effects on the human brain.  When chaotic, jarring music with much dissonance was analyzed on the computer using a meter to indicate pitch and timbre, the results came back as complete discord on the fractal scale.  Then they tried putting a Johann Sebastian Bach fugue to the test and the results were perfect, pure, gemoetrically correct fractal patterns on the graph!  Amazing!!

Now, I do not claim to undertstand fractal geometry in any mode, let alone music, but I do know that our God who created the universe is a God of order!  I also know from my long-running experience as a musician that music is very mathematical and scientific in its patterns and that if you understand them, you can probably create some beautiful music!  If you choose to break these patterns the results will be chaotic and stressful.  The reason for this is simple:  God created music, and if proper patterns are followed, and it is sung or played correctly, it will be beautiful and restful to our souls!

A great example in the Word of God about music soothing, calming and healing a troubled spirit is found in I Samuel 16:14-23 where King Saul had a vexing, troubling spirit which had descended upon him.  His servants, in an effort to calm him, suggested to him that he “seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp.  And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”  (v. 16, NKJV)   His servants found David, at the King’s request, and brought him to Saul.  Verse 23 concludes the story by saying, “And so it was, whenever the (evil) spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand.  Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.”  (NKJV)  It appears that this oppressing spirit (allowed with God’s permission because Saul was doing wicked things in His eyes) came frequently upon the King and the only thing that would help rid him of it was David’s skillful playing on the harp!

Are you being troubled with depressing thoughts or feeling you are “under attack”?  The enemy of your soul wants to keep you discouraged and “down”,  but God has given us a great weapon against these attacks:  praise and worship to Him through music!  Why not put on some praise music and begin to worship right there in your home?  You will soon dispel the gloominess!  Soon you will be singing the praises of God and feeling those oppressive spirits of discouragement leave!  I Samuel 30:6 says, “And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” (KJV)  I don’t think any of us are dealing with the possibility of being stoned!  If the great King David needed encouragement, and looked to the Lord for it, how much more should we, in our daily lives!  Many psalms begin with great distress and anguish and finish with joy and victory when the psalmist begins to praise and worship God (Yahweh) in the midst of his trouble!  I think this is directly related to music, so once again, I urge you to be a worshipper because He loves to hear your praises!  Watch your situation turn around as you begin to sing and praise the Lord!

An Amazing Story about Handel!

Feb1

Do you sometimes feel discouraged as a musician or composer?  Do you perhaps feel that no one really wants to hear your “stuff”, but it is just an uphill battle to get something noticed, let alone published?  Of course, this could apply to other areas of life, as well, not just in the musical realm, but musicians are notoriously “melancholy” in temperament (look it up if you are not familar with this word!) and can be on  the proverbial “Cloud 9” one day and down in the dumps, lower than the ground, the next!  Often their moods depend on external situations, for they tend to overemphasize the negative in a given situation.

In the music realm (because this blog is primarily about music matters), it is true that countless great, talented musicians go largely unnoticed while seemingly less-talented people “make it” in the music scene because they were “discovered” byt the right person or label.  Sometimes this can be disheartening.  I have a friend in Texas who is a very successful writer of contemporary praise and worship songs.  If I mentioned his name, you would no doubt be familiar with his songs, which are sung all over the world in most churches.  However, there was a time when he was a “nobody” and a worship leader at a small church close to where I lived.  He had written a song that got “picked up” by one of the hottest contemporary singers on the planet; a well-known publisher of praise and worship songs took notice, and the rest is history!  Now everything he writes turns to “gold” in the business, as they say.  Were his previous songs not any good?  Did this mean he was a better writer than many, many other Christian songwriters?  Or, was it, perhaps, God’s time for his ministry to come forth?  As he and I talked, we both agreed that was the case!  God has a timing for each musician to come forth and fulfill the destiny He has planned for them…if we will be patient!

     Now here is an amazing story that I’ll bet you didn’t know; it’s about the great composer George Frederick Handel, who wrote the music to Messiah which debuted in Dublin, Ireland in 1742.  Just a few years ago a unique video of mall “shoppers” (who were really musicians planted in the crowd) singing this wonderful oratorio’s (a sacred opera) signature piece, “The Hallelujah Chorus”,  went viral and has now been seen by nearly 50 million people around the world!  I am sure you are familiar with the Messiah because at Christmas it is presented countless times in locations worldwide.  What you probably didn’t know is “the rest of the story” about Handel, an amazing example of God’s love and timing!

Born in Germany in 1685, he always had an aptitude for music.  Although his father wanted him to study law, he was more interested in music.  His mother bought him a harpsichord which they secretly kept in the attic away from his father.  Handel wrote his first work at the age of twelve and studied music at the University of Halle in his hometown in Germany.  In 1712 he moved to England where he experienced some success with his various compositions, including operas, concertos and other instrumental works, but ultimately was faced with financial failure which threatened to overwhelm him.  His occasional commercial successes soon met with financial disaster and as he drove himself relentlessly to recover from one failure after another, his health also began to fail.  By 1741 he was swimming in debt and it seemed certain he would land in debtors’ prison.

But, God had not forgotten George Frederick Handel!  That same year became the turning point for him when his close friend, Charles Jennens, gave him a libretto (a text) for a sacred work.  It was exclusively 73 Bible verses focusing on the prophecies concerning the foretelling and coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, both from the Old and New Testaments.  A charity in Dublin, called the Foundling Hospital, which was an institution caring for newborn infants abandoned by their unknown, poverty-stricken parents, who were sometimes in prison, was putting on its annual benefit, and paid him to write something for the performance.

For 24 days, in August and September of 1741, Handel barely ate as he worked almost constantly composing this beautiful work we know as Messiah!  In fact, he told a friend he could barely keep up with the notation as the melodies and ideas flowed from within, directly from God Himself!  At one point, the composer had tears in his eyes and cried out to his servant, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!”  He had just finished writing the “Hallelujah” chorus.   Every word was from the Bible, 42 verses from the Old Testament and 31 from the New Testament.  Finally, the day Handel had waited for arrived and Messiah was first performed in Dublin on April 13, 1742!  It was very successful, the proceeds of which, it is said, freed 142 men from debtors’ prison!  The Foundling Hospital became Handel’s favorite charity, to which he gave liberally, up until his death in 1759.  He is today still revered as one of the greatest composers to ever live and is buried in Westminster Abbey in London.

So, out of this genius’s pain and despair, seemingly the low point of his life, came a work of beauty and praise to his Creator, the likes of which have never been surpassed!  Handel could never have dreamed how this beautiful work would continue to uplift and bless millions of people the world over for centuries to come.  One man put it this way:  “Handel was a relentless optimist whose faith in God sustained him through every difficulty.”  Remember, God has a perfect time for everything, including bringing your ministry forth at a time when He will gain the most glory!  Be encouraged this day, my friend!

Music is Part of my History

Jan28

When I think about beginning to write this blog, I realize there are thousands upon thousands of other blogs out there on every subject from raising children to politics to how to plant a garden…you name it!! The last thing we need is another blog, you might say! I would quite agree with you if this were going to be some “bland blog” with little cutesy phrases and trite comments, but I want it to be meaningful, not a rant from some disgruntled person who is just venting. I want to truly explore some of the trends in music, worship from a Biblical perspective, church music through the ages, and my own personal experiences with music and worship; I think I am well qualified to do this.   So, with that said, let me give you a little background about me, some things I don’t think very many people know. Perhaps if you get to know me a little, we can then explore some trends, both positive and negative, in music during the past decades and have some pertinent dialogue. Bear with me; the entire blog will not be about me!

I’ve been involved in music literally all of my life! Born in a suburb of Los Angeles, a child of the ’50’s and ’60’s, a “baby boomer”, I attended a large non-denominational church in downtown L.A. where my mom was one of the pianists and my dad was head usher in the balcony! Sort of cute, huh? It was a converted old theater, very ornate, and the worship was quite lively, as Pentecostal/Charismatic churches of that era were. My maternal grandfather was a gifted musician who also worked in the iron ore mines of Northern Minnesota. He had played for dances to earn extra income and I was told he could play any instrument well, “by ear”…especially the harmonica and accordian, and was an excellent dancer! Apparently my mom inherited his “gift” because she, too, could play by ear with embellishments added to any common church song, and also taught herself, for the most part, to read notes and play classical music. I was in awe of her talent, and wanted to play the piano more than anything in the world from the time I was a toddler. When I was a baby my mom said that when I was fussy she would just put me by the piano as she played, and I would stop crying! I guess you couldn’t keep me off the piano, for when I was four she started giving me piano lessons. Later, when I was seven, I took a couple of years of accordian lessons at a music studio in the L.A. area. Accordians “rocked” back then, but later they were not as “trendy” (I thought only “nerds” played them), so, of course, I decided to switch back to the piano again!

My folks had met at a Lutheran Bible college in L.A. They had even been personal workers at Billy Graham’s first campaign in the L.A. area! With a deep hunger for God, they began attending many meetings of well-known evangelists that would come to Southern California and that is how they came to attend the downtown church. At age three I sang my first solo in our church and to my mother’s horror, I actually threw the heavy microphone down on the floor (so I was told) when the pastor’s wife handed it to me; I have no recollection of this!! 🙂 I guess the pastor’s wife said something like, “Well, I guess she doesn’t need it anyway!” I really wasn’t a brat; I just had never sung with a mic before! So very embarrassing!! I guess my mom was a real “stage mother” and wanted to get her little girl noticed, because I made several records (old 78’s) when I was four, five and nine years old. If she hadn’t been so devoted to spiritual things and the Lord’s work, I think she would have made regular trips to Hollywood to see if her daughter might not be the next Shirley Temple! 🙂 Thank goodness, that never happened and later we moved to my dad’s hometown in North Dakota where he pastored several churches. I was still taking lessons and honing my skills at the piano.

I have said all of this to make a point: God had His Hand on me all along, as He does on you, and nothing is by accident! Through taking accordian lessons, I learned how chords are formed and move, their patterns in music and how to chord and play any song by understanding certain principles. In my childlike mind this all made perfect sense, and later God used this knowledge to help me teach many, many gifted church pianists and musicians how to chord and improvise when I had my teaching studio for almost 30 years! I also came to see patterns and trends in church music that developed over the years. I’ve so much to say on the subject, but will begin more of this in my next edition. Trust me, I have only just begun! Plese sign up to receive my blog in your inbox if you are interested in music and worship. I welcome your comments!

The Heart of the Matter

Jan24

The Heart of the Matter

The Heart of the Matter

“What is this blog going to be about,” you ask? “Will it be a negative, critical blog or one full of constructive ideas that will help me in my worship experience?” Well, hopefully, it will not be just a negative “venting” forum, although there will be ideas that you may not agree with! Instead, my hope for this new blog is to get you thinking about ways in which you can enhance your worship experience while perhaps squelching some stereotypes that have been coming to the forefront lately in many churches.

Let’s remember this: God has not changed and His desire for all of us is that we may worship Him in sprit and in truth! The methods may vary from church to church, but if the ones who are supposed to be worshipping are not doing that, then the entire premise of the goal is in vain! God is not as interested in the style of music or method we use to worship Him as He is in the “heart of the matter”…our hearts turned towards Him with love and abandon to His will! When He is Lord of all in our lives, our worship will be centered on Him and will bring delight to Him.

This blog will address issues such as styles of worship, trends that are emerging, some practical hints for musicians, as well as some practical things I have learned in my 30 plus years of private instruction. Certainly I have found in my years as a pianist and concert artist that there are things that work and some that just plain don’t! I hope you will enjoy this little blog I am starting and feel free to give me your comments and any ideas you may have for content. I welcome these! Remember, always be a worshipper, because He loves to hear your praises!