Memories from “camp”

Since as early as I can remember, my family and I have taken a trip every summer up to New York to go to “camp”. I was born in Liverpool, NY (near Syracuse) and that is where some of my extended family live that we visit with. Here are some things I will always remember about these trips:

1. The car rides. From Raleigh, google maps says its 11.5 hours to my aunt’s house (our first stop on our journey). My dad would never let it take 11.5 hours though. We stop only for gas, so you have to train your bladder to stay under control until we have found the most strategic on/off exit on our route where gas is the cheapest. And of course at these stops the quality of outdoor public restrooms are far from top-notch. I never did understand why you had to ask for the key from the gas station worker only to find the bathroom with no soap or paper towels, torn up walls, and covered in condensation, cigarette ashes, and obscenities written and etched all over the walls. We also normally bring aroung 400-500 empty soda cans in their original boxes. Why you might ask? Because North Carolina doesn’t give you 5 cents for a returned soda can, but New York does. So we strategically cram our suit cases to make room for the cans each year. This makes leg room in the van prety scarce, not to mention there are normally six or so (seven this year) people in the van to begin with. As far as tunes, you can be sure to hear a John MacArthur sermon, James Taylor, Tchaikovsky, or something with a lot of brass depending on who is driving. Food will consist of packed sandwhiches that have all been squished in the same bread bag. Whoever is in charge of the maroon-ish cooler that has a distinct click sound each time you open it really has a blessing and a curse. They have access to the food, but they also have to maneuver there legs in such a way to not be uncomfortable the whole trip and also open it anytime anyone needs anything. We usually plan to leave around 4am or some early time so that we can beat the Washington DC traffic, but we somehow always seem to hit it anyway. It’s probably because we always leave at least an hour later than scheduled because my dad is still packing the van or we are trying to clean the whole house before we leave. Anyway, the car trip is normally a pretty memorable experience.

2. My Aunt Eileen’s and Uncle Steve’s house. Once we arrive at my Aunt Eileen’s house its normally pretty late and everyone is already asleep except and we just crawl up into the sleeping bag or pre-made bed or couch that had already been made up for us. We normally spend a day or two at my aunt’s house enjoying marvelous food like manicotti and triple choclate layer cake (to celebrate my mom’s birthday which always falls during our trip). We go to my cousins’ (usually Ricky or Andrea) basketball games and the past few times have gotten some Gelato’s afterwards. We play volleyball or football or frisbee in the backyard and swim in the neighbor’s pool. We go to Carousel and Great Northern Mall and buy some SU stuff. We normally see lots of other family/friends while in Liverpool too (the Putnams, Jane and Cliff, Aunt Barb, the Pikarskys, the Gaidos, etc.)

3. “The farm”. This is where our family reunion is every year although I haven’t been since I was in 8th grade. In high school I was in marching band and band camp was always that weekend. I remember the old country atmosphere with a keg and a bunch of old guys sitting around a fire playing songs and singing with the acoustic guitar. People laughed, told stories, and ate a lot of good food. I particularly remember the corn on the cob being my favorite. There were these 2 swings that had circular seats and an uncomfortable rope that my brothers and cousins used to swing on. There was a tractor that we got to ride in (sometimes drive!) up to “the pond” where we could swim and play king of the raft. But now it has leeeches (I heard) and probably weeds have grown in the tracks of the hills where the tires from the tractor used to go into. I remember an old barn or garage shed next to the house at the farm where we used to hang out in. The house was old but lovable. I remember seeing the mills on the roads leaving the farm too. It was always a lot of fun.

4. Camp. Recently there has been some discussion whether to call it “camp”, “the river”, or “the river house”, etc. All I know is that I have known this place my entire life as “camp” and will never call it anything else. It is a place I will always remember. It’s about a 2-hour drive from my aunt’s house. We always look for The Lodge (I think thats it’s name) which is the only restaurant near where camp is. After that, we look for the big (painted white) truck tire and “Weischedel” sign. Then you drive a few minutes down a one-way road down to the house. The yard always needs to be mowed and the doors to the shed are always falling off (yet we lock it? It’s weird how this reminds me of the bathrooms I talked about earlier). I remember my grandma always running out to the car with her pink curlers wrapped tightly in her hair, old glasses, and a big smile to greet us. She passed when I was around 7, so now when we arrive at camp I always leave all my luggage in the van and go straight out to see the view of the St. Lawtence river. The water is clean, its windy, and you can see across about 2 miles to Canada. You can always see a green buoy, large freight ships, and seagulls on the roof off the dock house next door. At night you can see the stars since you are basically out in the middle of nowhere. There is a hammock you can lay in under the trees and a tire swing no one uses on the other side of the house. The house is old with peeling paint and a bush (more like a weed) that grows near the water at the corner of the dock that we have to trim each year. I love the wood ceiling inside and the out of fashion paint colors painted on the walls of the little homey rooms. The upstairs has 6 beds and a “cathedral ceiling” with nails coming out haha. On your way up the stairs you feel like you are in a old horror movie with saw blades, fish hooks, and a wall with tools and a single light bulb. The bathroom has the water heater as a focal point, doors that dont shut all the way, and a big metal tin that we call a shower. However, there isn’t any holes in the ceiling above the toilet anymore! In the main room downstairs I like to sit in the old green chairs. There is an old chest with blankets that have a distinct smell to them. The TV is in french since we are so close to Canada. Of course, there is no cell service but there is an old phone sitting on top of a yellow pages that is always a few years outdated. I remember my dad telling me stories of how him and his dad built the dock by wheeling load after wheel barrow load of cement out onto the dock to pour the foundation where the boat is docked. Since then, the water hitting it and the ice in winter has pushed the slats of wood on the dock up in places and eroded some of the foundation and steps used to get in and out of the water. I like to skip rocks and go casting from the dock even though all you might catch is a little perch. When I was younger we used to catch northern pike and have it for dinner! I remember my grandma used to read me “The Story About Ping” and wake me up early to show me the blue heron that liked to stand on the end of our dock. My cousins always act up and my uncle Gary tells dirty jokes (I must admit I look forward to them though). When we are up there we love to go skiing, take a boat ride, or go out swimming and get on the inner tubes and laugh at my dad making a fool of himself trying to play chicken with us. We like to go snorkeling and swim in the cold river after enjoying a game of wiffle ball in the back yard. Normally other relatives are there enjoying the fun and making food for dinner. We sometimes go play tennis at a nearby run down court or “go into town” for groceries or sight seeing at Alexandria Bay. We taken turn doing the dishes (no dishwasher of course). We take a big bag of choclate chip cookies that my aunt Eileen made staying up the night before so we could have them for camp. They are usually all gone by the 2nd or 3rd day. We always play Tripolee and more recently, Texas Hold ‘Em. It always rains at least once when we are up there and we always hate to leave.

There are so many more memories I have that I could share, but as you can see just from this entry – it might take some time. As odd as a lot of these memories are, I love camp. It is where I even proposed to my wife on the dock at sunset last year. I realize that these memories aren’t going to be able to be duplicated forever so that’s why I want to take the time to write this so I can remember when I am older and tell my kids about it. I am headed to camp tomorrow and for all of next week: I can’t wait.

My Top 25 Favorite Hymns and Worship Songs

These are songs that have been “staples” (the main course in the diet) for me in leading worship over the past few years, with a few exceptions to some newer songs. After looking at the past 100 setlists or so from sunday mornings, I almost always have at least one of these songs incorporated. So, if I had to strip down all my song database to only 25, it would be these. It will be interesting to see how this list will change with time. Anyway, here they are in alphabetical order:

And Can It Be
At the Cross
Before the Throne of God Above
Come Thou Fount
The First Place
Give Us Clean Hands
Glory to God Forever
Hosanna
How Deep the Father’s Love for Us
I Will Sing of My Redeemer
In Christ Alone
Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Marvelous Light
My Soul Finds Rest (Psalm 62)
Not to Us
Nothing but the Blood
Once Again
Pure and Holy Passion
Sing to the King
The Solid Rock
We Delight
We Will Glorify
The Wonderful Cross
You Alone Can Rescue

Here were the “runners up” : A Mighty Fortress, Be Thou My Vision, Blessed Assurance, Center, Come People of the Risen King, Forever, From the Rising of the Sun, Holy is the Lord, How Firm a Foundation, Here is Love, Jesus Paid It All, Let Your Kingdom Come, Take My Life and Let It Be, Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus, Your Name, You Have Shown Us.

*All of these songs and their sheets can be found here.
*Click here to see the discussion thread that I started on worshiptherock.com

John Chrysostom: “Nothing You Can Do To Harm Me”

This weekend at Fellowship Raleigh, Ben Pun spoke on Romans 8:14-17 and used this quote from John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407) to conclude his sermon. When Chrysostom was brought before the empress Eudoxia, she threatened him with banishment if he insisted on his Christian independence as a preacher. Here is the conversation that followed.

“You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father’s house.”

“But I will kill you!” said the empress.

“No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God.” said John.

“I will take away your treasures.”

“No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there.”

“But I will drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left.”

John then replied, “No, you cannot, for I have a Friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me.”

IN our city, FOR our city: Backpack Outreach

As first posted on my pastor Matt’s blog, I am also really pumped up about Fellowship Raleigh’s upcoming backpack/school supply outreach to Ligon Middle School families. As you can see in the picture above… we are starting to get ready. This picture shows some of the school supplies we will put into each backpack and give to the students on August 14th. We will be giving out over 450 backpacks to some of the students! It is also exciting that Ligon has asked our church to adopt their school in a more “official” capacity. Cool!

To see how you can be involved (donate, serve, etc.) in this outreach click here. To read up about our church’s vision for serving our city and more click here. To listen to a sermon our pastor preached on Luke 10:25-37, “The Good Samaritan” click here.

Theology and Worship with Mike Cosper

Mike Cosper is the Worship and Arts Pastor at Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY. This is an interview of Mike by Joe Thorn at Redeemer Fellowship.

What place does theology have in corporate worship?

Our worship services are necessarily theological. It’s never a question of whether or not we’ll do theology when we gather – it’s a question of what kind of theology, or of what depth of theology we will do. The goal of a pastor of worship is to accurately and thoroughly give voice to the theology that shapes the life and practices of the church, and the goal of the gathering is to give language and expression to the core values an theology of the church.

How explicit should our theology be in corporate worship?

Our theology should be very clear. What we do when we gather shapes the ways our people think about life and faith, and we are either equipping them with meat and substance or with platitudes and sentimentalism. I like how Kevin Twit puts it: “our gatherings should prepare people for their encounter with death.”

How does theology shape what you do at Sojourn gathered?

We have a strong liturgical structure for our gatherings, and that flows from our theology of worship and our ecclesiology (theology of the church). A biblical theology of worship tells us that Christians have only one call to worship (the call of the Gospel) and only one worship leader, our singing savior, Jesus Christ. Biblical texts like the book of Hebrews and Revelation show us that our Savior is at the center of worship, leading us in praise to the Father, while the Father calls us to praise the Son. The Spirit of God inhabits our hearts, makes the Gospel call effective, and stirs us to respond in worship.

Functionally, our gathering is shaped to remember the Gospel, remember the work of Christ, and celebrate him as the center and leader of our worship. For instance, we regularly try to remind the church that when they worship, they join the Son in glorifying the Father, they join the Father in glorifying the Son, and they join the Spirit in glorifying the Father and the Son. We also remind them that the worship leader on the platform isn’t doing something priestly or sacramental, but is just another member of the body of Christ. Only Jesus can lead us to throne room, only Jesus can make God’s presence powerful and intimate, and only the Holy Spirit can stir hearts. Worship leaders (and congregations, for that matter) merely participate in the glory-sharing work of the Trinity. So we cultivate humility and simplicity in our attitudes towards worship.

Ecclesiology is really important too. In the New Testament, we see the concept of worship as a time and place reality thoroughly deconstructed by Jesus (John 4), Paul (Romans 12), and the author of Hebrews. So one could be left with an understanding of worship that asks, “why gather?” I’ve developed a little memory device that helps teach the way that the Bible explains worship. It’s called “Worship 1,2,3”

Worship has ONE object – the triune God, revealed in the scripture as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Worship has TWO contexts – the broad context of all of life (unceasing, living-sacrifice worship) and the narrow context of the gathered church, who gathers to encourage and build one another up, offering a foretaste of what is to come when Christ returns an heaven and earth are joined together. (Jeremy Begbie calls this an “echo of the future,” which is one of the coolest phrases in all of Christendom.)

Worship has THREE audiences – Our Triune God is both the object of worship and one of its audiences, but the scriptures also tell us to pay attention to two other audiences – the Gathered Church (Colossians 3:16, Hebrews 10:23-24), and the watching world (1 Corinthians 14:22-40).

Can theology in worship be done poorly? How?

One way I think about this question is to refer to the device above. If one confuses the object of worship with the audience of worship, or diminishes one context over another, or one audience over another, it gets confusing, weird, or worse.

For instance, many worship leaders have encountered the eager, young theologian in their church who makes this statement: “Since worship is to God alone, we should only sing songs that speak directly to Him. We should not sing songs that address people, since we aren’t worshipping people.”

It’s a sweet sentiment, but it ignores the reality that our singing is for God and his church, and ignores the evidence from the Psalms that singing to people about God is clearly a welcome practice for God’s people.

Some movements have so emphasized the presence of outsiders that there is no meat, no substance, to build up the body of Christ. Other movements within the church deemphasize the Gathered body of Christ, and deemphasize the worship of the local church as a direct or indirect result. I recently heard Alan Hirsch essentially argue against the church gathering to sing because he believed that the oddity of the church gathering to sing was a hindrance to mission. It will make outsiders feel awkward, as the whole gathering of the church tends to do. I think the Bible, and history for that matter, would argue that singing is a deeply human act. In our disaffected and dehumanized techno-culture, singing is something that rehumanizes us in the church, reconnects us to one another and to history. Hirsch and others need to address the plain reality that the Bible calls us to gather and SING. The lack of a communal singing culture in the West today is a sad fact, but isn’t a reality that the church must embrace for the sake of mission. Go to a U2 or Springsteen concert and tell me people don’t want to gather and sing anymore. Maybe we just aren’t giving them anything worth singing at our gatherings… Which is a whole different issue altogether.

Worship is certainly an all of life reality, but it is also a practice that we embrace as a foretaste of heaven, gathering with Christ’s church out of exile, and joining our voices in hopes of a glorious day that is yet to come.

In a totally different stream of thought, I think many churches lack any real theology for worship. No one (including the leaders) know why the church is gathering or what their goal in gathering is. The service is only governed by a quest for a certain kind of emotional high, or a certain kind of mood. Our ecclesiology becomes a measuring stick by which we know the mission is accomplished in our gathering. Without any biblical, rooted ecclesiology, what is guiding us?

What advice would you give church leaders who recognize the need for theology to impact and characterize their worship gatherings?

One time, after a Sojourn service many years ago, Chip Stam (a prof at Southern Seminary and a brilliant mind on issues related to worship) gave me the most painful critique I’ve ever received. Essentially, he told me that the music was great, and the service was well executed for what it was, but that apart from the sermon, the entire thing could have been held in a Synagogue or a Unitarian church, and no one would have been offended. In a similar vein, I heard C.J. Mahaney say that at Sovereign Grace, they want to make sure no one who attends can ever think that worship is possible without a mediator.

I was crushed by Chip’s critique. Especially when I realized he was right. His comment spurred a journey that has led us to the liturgical model we practice now, where the Gospel is clearly proclaimed throughout the movements of the service. Liturgy isn’t the only way to prevent that from happening, but I would want to challenge worship leaders to ask what their measuring stick is in their planning. What is a well-planned service?

The Gospel needs to be proclaimed and celebrated in a way that prepares people for all of life – suffering, death, joy, births, successes, and failures. Our understanding of the depths of the Gospel will have a direct impact on the way we proclaim it in our gatherings. As John Wesley once said, people won’t leave a service quoting a sermon as often as they’ll leave singing a song. Worship leaders need to be pastors and theologians so that they can skillfully teach through songs and services what the Gospel has to offer us in each facet of life, so that when suffering and hard times come, they have the words in their hearts and minds to cling to the cross.

If you are unfamiliar with some of the music released through Sojourn be sure to check out their albums Before the Throne, Advent Songs, and Over the Grave.

Was Isaac Watts usual or unusual? (Part 2)

Isaac Watts was unusual in many respects. A short man (five feet tall), his frail body was capped with a disproportionately large head. Virtually all portraits of him depict him in a large gown with large folds, an obvious attempt at having him appear less grotesque.

Usual? How many working pastors write a textbook on logic that is used for decades by the preeminent universities of the English-speaking world?

Usual? Who among us can write a book on metaphysics that probes ontology, and at the same time write a book of children’s poetry that goes through 95 editions within 100 years of its publication?

Usual? Who has written hymns that have been translated into dozens of languages from Armenian to Zulu?

Usual? What modern thinker has published a learned tome on astronomy and also published graded catechisms (one for five-year olds, another for nine-year olds, another for twelve-year olds)?

Watts was unusual: he regularly gave away one-fifth of his income, deploying his tithe locally yet also sending it as far afield as Germany and Georgia to help beleaguered people there. Yet surely he was most unusual in that the jockey-sized man, ugly as well, handicapped by a thin voice and a history of psychiatric illness, could appear in a pulpit whenever sanity overtook him and draw hundreds who hung on words rising from a heart that hearers knew to be wrapped in the heart of God.

Watts knew that God is to be loved with the soul and also to be loved with the mind, and therefore reason must never be discounted in the exercising of faith or the discipline of the Christian life. Yet he knew too that the mystery of God himself, while never irrational, is oceans deeper than reason can fathom. I will conclude this post with a four-line stanza Isaac Watts wrote concerning the fathomless mystery of God.

Where reason fails,
With all her pow’rs,
There faith prevails
And love adores.

*Excerpt taken from Victor A. Shepherd – October 1994

Fellowship Raleigh – worship set video

Just a preview/example video clip of worship in song at Fellowship Raleigh from this past Sunday morning. Songs: Marvelous Light, And Can It Be, We Will Glorify, and Before the Throne of God Above.

In video (from L to R): Will Miller (electric), myself (acoustic/vocals), Lars Daniel (drums), Larry Timer (bass), Trish Moore (violin – out of the shot in this video but she’s there!). Video was taken on July 18th, 2010.