Mark Andrew Pope

Does this make me feel better or worse?

2010-07-02T16:29:00.002-05:00

I was reading a blog post by Derek Sivers (a recommended source of general good ideas and musical thoughts) and he had a really interesting blog post titled "I assume I'm below average". It was very interesting and enlightening. It basically explained (or at least began to explain) why there are some among us with crazy out of control egos. And, it also explains why sometimes I find myself at each end of the spectrum - either feeling very competent or the opposite.

Basically, due to the "Dunning-Kruger Effect", people who are less competent at something fail to see that they are incompetent because they simply don't know enough about what they are doing to understand that what they are doing is incompetent work. Or, perhaps they simply don't possess the aptitude at all to understand their own context in the area that they are working. (I think the Wikipedia article explains it better - so, best go back up and click the link!)

Hope this makes your day a little better... it certainly gave me something to think about!!

Noun or Adjective

2010-05-07T08:48:00.003-05:00

Ok - usually I'm not a big advocate of titles or how things are phrased. It doesn't matter if you're singing the "Doxology" or if you call it "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow" or if you're standing in the narthex or if you call it a lobby...

But, I wonder what it says about our self-perception if you use Christian as an adjective or a noun. For example, if I consider myself a Christian musician, doesn't that mean that I primarily see myself as a musician that is filed in the Christian category? Does it even matter? Or does it tell us more about who we are or how we see ourselves than we recognize?

Beer and Bible

2010-03-23T16:44:00.001-05:00

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this... what do you think??

Choir Fun Facts #4

2010-03-16T10:27:00.004-05:00

Singing fun fact:

Taking a breath. Easy! I do it all the time…right?

Well – let’s take a moment to consider breathing for singing versus “regular” breathing. This is a “crash course”, so I’ll get right to it. First of all, when you breath for singing, never breathe only through your nose. It is too small and you end up working too hard to get the air you need. Think about breathing in through your mouth and nose at the same time! Secondly, there shouldn’t be much or any sound when you take air in through your mouth. If you can hear a “rasp” in your throat, then you’re doing it wrong – relax your throat and open up. Finally, If you want the best possible breath, then shape your mouth into the shape of the first vowel that you’re going to sing. That will help you sing a good vowel sound AND get a good breath!

Music Theory fun fact:

Notation – time signature

Time signatures are important in that they tell us how many beats are in a measure and how to count the rhythms. (A measure, by the way, is determined by the notes in between the vertical lines in the staff.)

The top note tells us how many beats are in the measure. (This can be ANY number.)

The bottom number tells us what kind of note “gets the beat” (This can be only: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc… - the most common by far is 4 and next is 8)

	This means that there are 4 beats in a measure where the quarter note gets the beat.
	This means that there are 3 beats in a measure where the quarter note get the beat.

Philosophy fun fact:

Is singing hymns/songs for the purpose of preparing our hearts for worship?

This is an easy one… NO! Singing doesn't prepare our hearts for worship... Singing IS an act of worship. One aspect of worship isn’t any more important than the other. They should all support one another –not simply prepare you for another act of worship.

Choir Fun Facts #3

2010-02-04T08:00:00.009-06:00

Singing fun fact:

What use is a conductor? Do we really need one?

There's actually a fair amount of contention about whether conductors (for choir or orchestra) are really needed. Sure, everyone agrees that there needs to be someone who rehearses the group, but some would say that once the ensemble knows the music, the director is not as necessary.

I disagree (and not just based on job security)! I believe that the best "performances" are those where all of the musicians are not only bringing their best musical prowess and gifts to the table, but where wherein their vision of the music that they are playing is unified in the moment. I celebrate all musicians having their own view of the music - and that should be explored in solos. However, an ensemble, each interpreting the music to their liking, is like telling everyone in a business to do whatever they'd like to do to make the business run the best it can. Although the business may survive, there will be no real vision.

Also, conductors are like good insurance - when things go horribly wrong - that's when you wish you had one!

Music Theory fun fact:

What is a clef? And why should I care?

There are lots of musical clefs. You see a picture of a treble clef (on the left) and bass clef (on the right) here. Basically, a clef is put on a staff to tell you additional information about how high or low a note is. If we didn't have clefs, our staffs would have to be at least 10 lines tall! That would be confusing!

But, to address the most common clefs (treble and bass) - basically, treble is meant for higher notes and the bass for lower notes.

Philosophy fun fact:

What's wrong with status quo?

A church choir should always be striving to become a better choir and to grow spiritually, in commitment and otherwise. A choir that is satisfied with the status quo is not in any sense a church choir. Would we be satisfied with missionaries that are fine with the status quo? What about if we sent people on mission trips (say, for example to Haiti) that were satisfied with the status quo? We don't even want politicians that are interested in the status quo. So, why would we, as choir members, be satisfied to do a sufficient amount of work to be average, luke-warm and do little more than to satisfy the musical status quo of the church/community/Kingdom? Note: It's not ministry if you're not trying...

Choir Fun Facts #2

2010-01-28T08:00:00.003-06:00

Singing fun fact:

What is the most important part of keeping one's posture good for singing?

I'm going to go slightly out on a limb and say the spine. I think if one keeps their mind on having a "tall spine" then most of everything else clicks into place - especially if you consider that the spine continues up your neck all the way to the skull. I don't necessarily think of a "straight spine" as healthy, because in making the spine straight, I think one might tense up the muscles in the torso in order to make the spine rigid - which is not healthy a

t all. So, a "tall spine", although not at all the end of posture conversation is definitely a good starting point!

Theory fun fact:

What do those 5 lines mean?

Those five parallel lines are the "staff". Most, not all, but most of Western music can be expressed some way on the staff. It basically is like a measuring cup - you have lines that tell you how high or low a sounding note is and it gives the horizontal space (side to side) to allow for duration of that particular note. We'll talk about it more, but, if you see these 5 lines, then you know that you're looking at a musical staff!

Philosophical fun fact:

Is it important which hymns/songs we sing on a Sunday morning?

I, personally, feel that it is very important which hymns and songs we sing during our worship times! It is my strongly held opinion that our hymns and songs must magnify the message that the pastor is presenting in worship. I've heard some say that they felt that it was not important to relate the songs to the message for the following reasons:

#1. People aren't paying enough attention anyway, so it doesn't matter what songs we sing.

#2. If we only sing about one theological issue or "subject", then someone may feel left out and need or want to hear something else that day.

#3. If we limit ourselves only to music that connects specifically to that Sunday message/scripture/season, then we may find ourselves having to sing music we aren't wholly familiar with. And, who wants to do that?

I will address these very quickly:

#1. First of all, give something for people to pay attention to - if the words they sing are meaningful and connect to something else, people can and will pay attention to that.

#2. If all the different thing we did in worship were completely disparate, then people will walk away confused and dissatisfied - not happy because one of the songs we sang that day seemed relevant.

#3. Yes, we may find ourselves singing texts and melodies that aren't familiar to us. But, I personally believe that congregations are smart enough and capable enough to learn new music and/or texts. And, I'll reiterate that if the content connects together in a meaningful way, then people will make the effort to understand and connect to every part of the worship time.

Choir Fun Facts #1

2010-01-21T08:00:00.007-06:00

Singing fun fact:

Do you ever yawn especially when singing?

If your answer is "yes" - then consider this - it is primarily because there is air in your lungs that isn't getting used very well. Either you're not breathing deeply enough or you're not exhaling all of the "used" air. To remedy, make sure that when you sing musical phrases that you are expelling all of our air (in a healthy way) and not taking too many shallow breaths. You might also notice that you are having to breathe every measure or two - if so, you're not breathing deeply enough!

Theory fun fact:

"I haven't read music all of my life in choir. Why should I learn to read music?"

The way I usually address this is to ask that you imaging that you were going to have an extra room built on to your house and you already had the plans all drawn up. What would your reaction be if the person that you hired looked at the plans and told you that they didn't read blueprints - but not to worry, he/she has done this a long time and they were sure it would look something like what you had in mind?

I know what my reaction would be... I'd send them packing! Just because church choirs are generally volunteer, that doesn't affect the importance of having the tools necessary to do our very best job. If doing our very best involves learning to read music, then that is what we should be committed to doing. Also, I can promise you that if you learn how to read music, even rudimentarily, you will learn all of your music faster, more accurately and feel much more confident about your singing altogether.

Philosophical Fun Fact

"We've got so much music already! Why should we learn more?"

One of the most reiterated verses in the entire bible is "Sing a New Song..." There are dozens of Psalms that mention that - once... twice or sometimes even thrice or more. That's not to say that singing the "old" or familiar songs is bad - not at all! However, I think we need to be cognizant that we don't get caught in a rut just singing those familiar songs simply because they are familiar. (There's a lot of good reasons to sing familiar songs - but comfort level isn't one of them...)

Mr. Pope, That Ain't No Good English!

2010-01-20T14:20:00.000-06:00

Several years ago, I spent a year teaching school... one day, a young girl we'll call "Sally" informed me in front of the entire class that I had broken some grammar rule and thus shouted, "Mr. Pope, that ain't no good english!"

I was so shocked by the intense incorrectness of her comment that I was speechless. Despite trying to figure out what I had said that caused her to call me out, I couldn't even get my mind around what she had said and how to begin to correct her grammatically foul utterance.

But, it got me thinking... how many times have I declared another's fault when my transgressions were worse?

Choir Fun Facts

2010-01-20T12:49:00.007-06:00

Well, in order to try to make our church choir about more than just music, I'm instituting 3 new "moments" into our rehearsal. Each will last only a minute or so, but hopefully will be something that expands our understanding of singing, music and sacred music philosophy. Not to overly trite, I'm using the overall heading of "Choir Fun Facts"...

Each week I'll post a blog on Thursday detailing what I presented in choir on Wednesday night. I hope that you'll find that there's something to add to each of these ideas that I'll be presenting and I'll be looking forward to your input!

2010 To-Do List

2009-12-30T12:16:00.001-06:00

"I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ." - Ghandi

Ok, so I saw this quote and I thought a rather condemning thought of some of our society's mega-church superstars. Joel Osteen, for example. If one were to make a list of the attributes of Christ and then compare them to Mr. Osteen's attributes, how would it match up?

Then, I immediately thought of myself. How would I measure up? Probably not much better than Mr. Osteen, perhaps. But, I thought, I'm not exactly sure where to go to "measure up". So, I did what any 21st century scholar does, I went to Google.

I've found innumerable websites that either deal with the attributes of Christ as God or websites that talk about the attributes of a Christian, but nothing that dealt with the attributes of Christ as a person.

I'm looking for a list of attributes of Christ from a biblical perspective that concretely names what Jesus actually physically DID to distinguish himself in this world. To see if my hypothesis about how, as a society, we think of Christ was accurate, I did a search and found countless lists of what Christians should NOT do.

My hypothesis is basically that we (21st century society) like to think about Christianity as a "you shouldn't do this and you shouldn't do that" sort of religion. It gives us an odd comfort to know that those around us are committing heinous acts of heresy as we restrain from our list of "shouldn'ts" and live a "Christian" life.

Ok, here's my thought on this - those sorts of lists are POINTLESS!! It is kinda like deciding what I'll do today by listing everything that I shouldn't or wouldn't do. NOT helpful!

I actually want something that says in black and white - (for example) "Jesus has compassion on and fed the hungry - Matt 15:32-34". This way, if I see someone asking for food, I don't turn away without compassion for them, but I would be lead to feed them - even if that's just bringing them a meal from McD's.

I think as Christians we all have many opportunities to minister to people and show Christ's love to them in ways that we don't even consider because we're just trying to live the "good life" of "don't drink, don't smoke, don't gamble, don't cuss, etc..." As if avoiding these activities made one more Christ-like.

I want a to do list for 2010. I want it based on what Jesus actually DID! (Not what he did not do...which, would be pure speculation because just because it didn't mention that Jesus did something, that doesn't mean that he didn't do it. If its not in the bible, then Jesus could have done something, it just wasn't recorded.)

I actually want the concrete "Jesus did _________" and therefore, as Christians, followers of Christ, we should do the same.

Am I crazy? Does this seem reasonable? It seems DOABLE to me!

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Bose L1

2009-12-04T13:55:00.003-06:00

Here's another blog that has to do with some of the new equipment I've been getting. I sold my Mackie 1521's and Mackie 15" sub and purchased the Bose L1. In some ways, it is a crazy switch. If you've ever seen the Mackies (click here), they are fairly large speakers and when you add the sub to them... well... wow! Great sound. But, consider that anywhere I would go, I'd have to lug these large (over 100 lbs each) speakers. And, they take up quite a bit of room in the car.

So, I read up and found the Bose. Now, Bose is not exactly seen in the professional loudspeaker world as being very respectable loudspeakers. Not at all. As far as the home theater world, Bose is top o' the line, but when you put them next to Mackie, QSC, JBL... Bose gets a few sideways glances.

Why did I get the Bose, then? Well, for one, it breaks down into a few light components in a matter or minutes... or less. Check out this video.

And the sound? Well, think "movie theaterish". It is full, clear, responsive, has a great dispersion... all in all... perfect for a traveling performer in smallish venues. I say small"ish" because I took the Bose to a sanctuary that sat 350-400 people, and at half volume more than filled the place up.

I could see getting an extra sub at some time - but, since I don't typically perform hip-hop, R&B or electronic music, the really low range isn't quite as important to me. And, it is a mono system. There is no stereo ability on the Bose L1. So, if you want stereo... buy 2 or more.

I look forward to many years of traveling with my Bose fitting easily in the trunk or back seat of my car. Bose - it ain't cheap, but it is very satisfying!

Finale vs. Sibelius Cage Match Update (Part III)

2009-10-20T11:00:00.002-05:00

This blog should maybe be called, "Paradise Found". I've purchased Sibelius and I've notated a few things in it so far. What is amazing to me is that without practically any knowledge of Sibelius, I've created scores that I'm not ashamed of sharing with others. That is to say, even with a very basic working knowledge of Sibelius, some good looking work can be done. It probably took me twice as long as it would have in Finale, but, very quickly the learning curve is flattening out.

I don't know that I would have caught on to Sibelius as fast as I am without knowing Finale - I mean, Finale allowed me to know what to expect to find in a notation program and my time in Sibelius seems to be trying to chase down what I'm looking for.

So, I directed my time to some study - but, let me assure you that my "study" tended to be more exciting and inspiring and not boring and drag-through-the-muddish... I think the best advertisement for Sibelius, at least for me, was some short videos that Daniel Spreadbury, Sibelius' Senior Product Manager, placed on the web. It goes very quickly through some of Sibelius 5's features. Although it is featuring the previous version of Sibelius, they are still very helpful.

http://www.sibelius.com/products/sibelius/movies/index.html

Another great resource is Daniel's "Sibelius Blog" (found at: http://www.sibeliusblog.com/) There, you can read about interesting things that are happening in the Sibelius world and learn about how Sibelius is being used in "the industry".

Meanwhile, I've found that Sibelius offers numerous opportunities for webcasts to learn more about their product. I could be wrong, but I never found any advertising for Finale to do the same. I participated in one of these webinars and found it extremely helpful and enlightening.

And, if you are thinking about using Sibelius, check out James Humberstone's "Learn Sibelius in 1 Hour" video series. (Also, find him at: http://www.composerhome.com)

This is a very informative series for the beginner. I watched all of it, even though much of it I had figured out on my own. I found that in each video I learned something new - and usually something that made me want to shut down the video and go try it on Sibelius.

Learn Sibelius in 1 Hour Link

I'm still very much learning Sibelius, but I'm finding quite a bit of joy in the exploration of it. The scores are smart and clean and the interface is intuitive. However, the most exciting part for me right now is wealth of startup support and videos. Daniel never waits a moment to steer me in the right direction - and, where else do you have any access to the Senior Project Manager? Fantastic!

My next hurdle with Sibelius is going to be programming voices so that it plays exactly the sounds that I want it to. I'm sure there will be more to come!!!

Go buy your copy of Sibelius NOW! (And, if you currently use Finale, look for the crossgrade discount!!)

Finale vs. Sibelius Cage Match Update (Part II)

2009-10-05T09:21:00.003-05:00

Ok - I have officially ordered Sibelius. They won me over with an AWESOME crossgrade promotion. Usually, Sibelius is $600, but if you will kindly defect from Finale-land, they will give you 2/3 off the cost. So, I picked this jewel up for a paltry $200!

Unfortunately, Sibelius was delivered to my door on Saturday morning and, wouldn't you know, the serial number provided proved to be invalid. I was able to contact a Sibelius representative pretty quickly through Twitter - however, it is the weekend and there was no way to get a replacement serial number. :(

But, assuming that they get me a serial number sometime today, all will be forgiven. Really, I could just use this time to review the tutorial videos online. (BTW - if you have a great product, make all of the tutorial videos available for free online. When someone watches them and sees what your product can do, they'll buy it ASAP. That's what happened with me and Sibelius.)

So - I sit here jonesin' for the Sibelius serial number... so very ready to strap on my boots, get my walking cane and hike this learning curve (which I'm assured is much less steep than "other learning curves" I've heard of... and experienced).

More updates to come....

BTW - tomorrow, I'm going to check out Logic to use as my new DAW. I guess when I go for a change, I'm going head-first...in the deep end...

My Finale vs. Sibelius Journey (Interlude)

2009-09-18T18:00:00.002-05:00

Ok - so, I've used Finale for the last 16+ years. I know it well... but, I've heard good things about a little program called Sibelius, too. So, lately I've really been concentrating more on my writing and arranging and I think that I either need to upgrade to the latest version of Finale or make a break and start using Sibelius.

I just downloaded the 30-day free trial of Sibelius (which, by the way does not allow you to save anything... bummer!!) and I've done little more than look at some of the samples that they have included in the download. My observation so far is that Finale has a much smoother playback feature. Now, I understand that Sibelius doesn't come with the Garritan orchestra and Finale does. ($200 pricetag on that, BTW) That, notwithstanding, from what I heard, the crescendos and other articulations sounded a bit terse to me in the samples that I listened to on Sibelius.

I use my notation program quite a bit for demos to send to prospective publishers and performers - so, I need something that is really going to give me what I need as far as that goes. I'm unsure if adding MOTU or Garritan (or any other VST) to Sibelius would give me that satisfaction of performance that I crave.

But, that is my full understanding of the Sibelius platform at this time. So, I sent out a tweet/Facebook status/email to basically everyone I know and asked about what they use, why and if they had made a switch between either program. I have anonymously posted my replies below....

Reponse #1

We just bought finale because that is what my accompanist and choir members are using and they will be the ones using it here.

Good luck

Response #2

I use Sibelius. I really like it. I can't compare it to Finale because I've never used Finale, but I've found Sibelius able to do all the things that I need to do quickly. I've always used Sibelius since I attended an AGO conference and they had a Sibelius vs. Finale seminar in which guys from both companies were given a task to perform and the Sibelius way of doing the task was much simpler and faster - they blew the Finale people away. [A friend of mine] always liked Sibelius too so I guess I just picked it up from him. The downside (maybe it's positive) is that Sibelius often seems to be issuing upgrades and it can get expensive after a while. I have stopped doing upgrades because I don't use it that intently and haven't had any troubles getting it to do something I want it to do. I highly recommend it! But, bear in mind that I've never used Finale so I don't have anything with which to compare it.

Response #3

I used Finale for years, but when I switched - I swore I'd never go back. Sibelius was much, much more intuitive than Finale. Once I started with Sibelius, I rarely ever had to open the manual because you can find almost anything you need with a mouse click. I understand that Finale has made great strides trying to emulate all the features that Sibelius has developed, so I don't know if the difference would be as great now as when I switched over 10 years ago. However, I still think that Sibelius may be the way to go. I think many, if not most, publishers have switched to Sibelius.

There would be a brief learning curve any time you switch from one soft ware to a different one that basically does the same thing. However, if you were to take the short time to go through the tutorials and videos, you'd be cruising with Sibelius in a matter of a couple of hours. I highly commend it to you.

Response #4

I've only ever used finale. It was such a time consuming thing to learn that I never tried anything else! I've always thought of Sibelius as having less capabilities ( by design) than finale. Have they added more stuff ? Let me know what you decide!

Response #5

I learned on Finale, so I stayed there. I have tried my hand at Sibelius for a project with the school. It took me a few minutes, but I started to get it. Their goal is to get your hand off the mouse and on the typing keyboard. You can certainly use a midi keyboard as well, but Sibelius shines (from what I could tell) when you invest the time to learn the short cuts, and type your brains out. If I were starting from zero, knowing what I know now, Sibelius would be my choice.

Response #6

I use Finale. I've never used Sibelius. My recollection is that when I first started using Finale (about 15 years ago) Sibelius did not have a PC version, although I'm old and what I could actually be remembering is that Finale did not have a Mac version. In either case, I think that may have been the original Finale/Sibelius divide.

In talking with other songwriters/composers/arrangers it seems to me that at this point more "serious" composers use Sibelius while songwriters and arrangers use Finale. In an informal poll here - which means I just yelled out in the lounge - everyone says they use Finale. All three of us. For whatever that's worth.

I just bought the Finale 2010 upgrade. I've been very happy with the improvements over the years, primarily because they seem to make the things that drive me crazy or take the most time a little better and easier every time they release a new version. Plus, I love the integration of the Garritan sound fonts.

Response #7

I don't really use anything for notation, but I have friends that do and they recommend Sibelius. My composer friend says Sibelius is much faster and easier, and is better for playback. He says there are fewer keystrokes for nearly any task. He says that if you are great on finale and love it, stick with it, but if you are good on finale you will be great on sibelius. He has both and prefers Sibelius. His composition teacher is really big into finale, and can't tell that [composer friend's] compositions are not done in Finale.

Response #8

I've always used Finale but do find it a little perplexing/complicated sometimes. We have a friend who switched to Sibelius, but she's such a "light" user that I've not put too much weight into her decision.

Response #9

i haven't done an arrangement on finale in a couple years. before that, the last time i upgraded was in 2005. if i was to do anything at this time, it'd be to upgrade and stick w/ finale because praisecharts.com, with whom i purchase a TON of music, is now putting their stuff out in finale so their files can be edited, keys changed, etc...

So, there you have it, my highly unscientific commentary on Sibelius vs. Finale. I am sort of sensing this "I've used Finale for a long time and so I'm not switching now" viewpoint from Finale users and a "Wow, I love this, it is easy and very good" from the Sibelius side. But, this is not the end. I really want to learn more about Sibelius and before I sink more $$ into Finale, I want to make sure that I'm going to be really happy with the direction I take here.

If you have anything to add, please let me know... right now I've got 28 days of free Sibelius and all the time in the world with my Finale 2006!

Proof That Worship is Counter Cultural

2009-09-09T13:18:00.004-05:00

America is known for it's opulence. For it's buffet-style choices in everything that we do. Cars, houses, clothes, movies, glasses frames, restaurants... you name it, we've got it with a ton of different customizations.

We also, no doubt, have dozens, if not hundreds, of choices of churches within reasonable driving distance from our homes. And, in that initial choice, we have a grand luxury. We can choose the EXACT church we want to attend.

However, that is where our freedom of "buffet-style" church stops, in many cases. Once we join a particular church, prepare for years of a mono-stylistic approach to worship. Some churches do have choices on Sunday morning - traditional or contemporary - and some even offer "blended". But, let's be honest, few church goers change their Sunday schedule each week to experience different styles, and, furthermore, "blended" usually ends up being a less of a true blend and more of an average between the two "mainstream" styles.

So, exceptions noted, my point is that I think it is interesting that in a culture that craves choices and (as the Barna Institute points out) 2 out of 3 adults (not just Christians) in America are considered "casual Christians", we, as American Christians, seem to get very protective about the style of music and flow of service in our worship times. [Casual Christians are minimally active Christians or moderately active, but theologically nominal Christians.]

I'm not making a judgement call on this - let me be clear about that. I just think that it is interesting that inside the church walls, we crave consistency and regularity, but, outside those walls, I hear people say things like, "No, let's not eat Mexican tonight, I had that for lunch yesterday."

My prayer is just that in the mono-stylistic mode in which churches ultimately find themselves, they are truly creating an atmosphere that allows their congregation to (1) express worship to God in ways that allow individuals to connect their life to their worship, and (2) worship God above all else - most of all, worship God more than we worship our own preferences.

Am I Post-Modern, or What??

2009-09-08T10:38:00.003-05:00

Ok, so over the last few weeks (and really, probably more like months or years) I've been struck by the "interesting" approach that the "Church" has taken to the term postmodern. It has, for most, become a curse word. I would probably come out better in some churches if I started throwing around 4-letter words while leading worship instead of ever using the "P-word".

The problem is, I think, that most churchy-types feel that postmodern is a theology and not a worldview filter. And, some people would argue with me that I'm wrong and that postmodern is, indeed, a theology because it directly affects one's view of God.

And, I'll admit that I think that postmodernism is the cultural filter through which we view - well - everything. I also think that to deny the existence of, or even membership in the postmodern culture to be dangerous to the church.

My hypothesis is that because the people that loudly claim "I'm a Postmodern - and here's what I think about God!" often times have views of God that are contradictory to someone else's viewpoint, the whole "postmodern pool" is soiled.

It is pretty clear to me that moderates have little or no voice in the world - much less in Christianity. And, generally, fanatics and far left or right wingers tend to capture the public's attention. So, this is true in the case of postmodernism as well. No publisher is going to publish a book by someone who basically says that "postmoderns" don't by nature crave a rearrangement and/or customization of the Truth in order to believe - they simply need Truth to be held to standards that are meaningful to them.

Again, some would argue that this view is unfit for Christianity, and some even feel that it is somewhat heretical. My problem with this is that is the Truth is really the Truth... and you really believe that - then, don't you believe that the Truth will stand any test? If you're scared that the Truth has weaknesses, then I can see that holding different criteria up to the Truth could be frightening. If your understanding and faith in the Truth is secure, then why would you not want these new "whipper-snappers" (aka Postmoderns) to kick its tires, so to speak?

Now, to be clear, I would not say that I agree with the all of the theology in the books by the now famous "postmoderns". Many of them not only come from different faith backgrounds than I do, but also tend to be far left or right wing. That is to say that the reason they get "air time" is not necessarily because it is true, but because what they say has some controversy to it. If what they are saying were simply helpful and edifying to our faith, I doubt that the Christian media and publishing "industry" would find it lucrative enough to publish.

So, yes, I'm "postmodern". I hold the Truth to different measuring sticks than did my father and father's father. But, I still believe the same Truth that they believe in. I may make different demands on church leadership than generations before, but, more is expected of me as well. For example, I expect the leadership of the church to do more than provide a warm body for a title. I respect authority, but, as one can see by the many, many, many, many church leaders that have shown themselves to be human, I simply don't see that a title gives one absolute power, authority and some immunity to scrutiny. That seems a little to me like the views of the Pharisees. (But, I'm getting off of task here...)

Is being postmodern bad? Not as I see it. It's human. God isn't, however, postmodern... or, if you want to think of it this way - God IS postmodern... and modern... and ancient... and everlasting... I think God will stand the test of time, don't you?

Praise the Lord (Part 3)

2009-08-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Maybe we shouldn’t walk out of church asking each other, “What did you think about worship today?” That almost sounds like worship is something that happened to us for the last hour. But maybe we should be asking, “Hey, how did I do??” If we ask ourselves that question, then it seems that we’re putting the right people on the spot.

Now, enough of this serious stuff… let’s talk about my favorite verb… worship.

The Where of Worship…

The woman at the well said to Jesus that the Jews told her to worship at the synagogue. And Jesus replied that soon there would be a time when God’s worshippers would understand that they are to worship Him is “spirit and in truth”…

From Psalm 150: Praise God in His sanctuary. Praise God in His mighty firmament.

That is everywhere… in spirit and in truth – outside and inside – it is more important that one worship than where one worships.

The Why of Worship/Praise…

From Psalm 150: For God’s mighty deeds…

He is the creator! He made all that is!

The "How" of Worship/Praise…

A few years ago I was talking at a church service about worshipping together. I made the point that it really brings the whole church together for one purpose. I used the band as an example. All of the musicians were EXCELLENT! But, if they all played their own thing when and how they wanted, it was a mess. And, I had them all play their favorite song. It was a mess! And it wasn't even that each musician wasn't playing their song very well. They were.

Then I asked the band to play a single song. It was awesome!

The same is true in our church. We are all fully capable for ministry. We are all wonderful in our talents and gifts and who we are as people of God. However, a church where we don’t worship together IN ONE SPIRIT… can be a mess. Everyone WANTS something out of the church- when we come together, like these musicians, everyone has to give up just a bit of themselves, but when they do the result is so much greater than the sum of the parts.

Now for the final part of the Psalm 150 – “Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!” That means no one is off the hook!!

God wants us to break the surley bonds of our own self-conciousness and get all wrapped up in the worshipping of God Almighty. I want you to sing out because when you sing out you give the person next to you the courage to sing out.

God wants YOU to praise His name! With everything that is going on in your life – it is YOU that God wants! We all have troubles in our lives right now – loss of family, sickness, problems with spouses, problems with children, trouble with work, trouble finding work… and God will give you great joy if you’ll praise His name. It takes YOU doing it to make worship pleasing in God’s eyes. Don’t let anyone do this for you… don’t be lead into thinking that I’m going to praise God for you – or the band, or the singers… Just like if you went home today and everyone in the sanctuary here called you up and gave you a compliment… none of them are any less valuable than any others – but the difference is that God knows your name and your heart. God knows what thrills you and destroys you. God wants YOU to worship Him. You personally.

As you finish reading this and go on with your day, don’t stop worshipping… worship isn’t something you attend – it is something you do… take that with you into the world – let the joy of worship thrust you into the world to live among it as Christians. Remember that God loves us all enough to sacrifice His only Son for your salvation – for your eternal life. Don’t stop worshipping… don’t EVER stop worshipping…

Praise the Lord (Part 2)

2009-08-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

So you might say to me – hey, all of the rhetoric about worship is great, Mark. We can talk about this all day. We now realize that you are infatuated with worship and you think we should all be a part of it. But, tell me how to do this.

Gladly!

Let’s first answer a question… a big question – Who is worship for? Is it how WE feel about worship or what GOD feels about worship?

John Calvin said that any time worship is given to any part of creation rather than the Creator, then the glory of God is diminished.

That is heavy stuff! Do we need another burden as Christians? But, if we don’t raise him “high and lifted up”, then who’s going to?

If we come in here on Sundays worried more about how we feel about worship rather than how God feels about worship, then we need to re-evaluate, don’t we?

Here’s another thought, then… what is our role in worship?

Wrong Answers Right Answers

Audience? Congregation God

Actors? Pastors and musicians Congregation

Director? God Pastors and musicians

I'm not the first to come up with the chart above - Soren Kirkegaard was the first, or one of the first to put worship into this kind of perspective. We are, as a society, taught that we are the audience (TV, movies, plays, magic shows, etc... are all devised with us as the entertainee). And we are taught that people on the "stage" are the entertainers... furthermore, anyone backstage and not seen are the directors/producers, etc... That works fine for theater - but, works poorly for church. Because in worship, God is the audience! Yep - he's listening to and watching us! So, we are the "actors" or the entertainers, in this analogy and surprisingly, the pastors and musicians are really like the director. This is because the director's job is simply to help the actors do their best for the audience. That really should be the role of the church musician and pastor!

Now, thinking of worship that way...

Let’s say that you paid $120 for a ticket to your favorite musical. What would you think if it started 10 minutes late, half of the orchestra is talking amongst themselves or falling asleep and midway through your favorite song the lead singer took a quick cigarette break? You would be furious – you paid $120 for your seat!!! Then think about worship in these terms. What price God paid for us to be here as Christians – worshipping. He paid with His son! Did you know that he seriously loves us that much? He loves us enough that in our lives that so often turn our back on His love, grace and glory, He sent His son to turn us away from the dark and to the light. He paid a huge price and deserves us to give our best!

We are the “actors” folks – for an audience of ONE!

Praise the Lord! (Part 1)

2009-07-28T05:00:00.000-05:00

Several years ago I gave a sermon that spoke about the fact that we are made for worship. I haven’t changed my mind – not one bit!

In fact, I believe it now more than I did a few years ago. Why? Because I discovered something – that we need to learn to live a life of praise everyday. If we simply enter the sanctuary once a week to “praise” then we are missing the point. This hour of praise should represent the beginning and the end of a week of continual praise.

“I will extol the Lord at all times” – Psalm 34:1

“From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised” – Psalm 113:3

Being a Christian and only worshipping on Sunday is like saying … well, ok, let’s say that I tell you that I’m an athlete. That’s all well and good, but when you ask me how much time I put toward athletics… doesn’t it sound a little weird if I tell you that I put an hour to two hours a week into it? You and I both know that to call one’s self an athlete, you must have an overwhelming passion for athletics. You want to do it all the time! To be a Christian, you must have an overwhelming passion for Christ and praising His name is how we express that passion… and we should want to do it all the time!

In 1 Peter it says, “But you are a chosen people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 (Peter 2:9).

It doesn’t say that we are a chosen people that we might make our own lives and at some point during the week we praise God.

What is the first commandment? “Thou shalt not put any other Gods before me” –(Exodus 20:2) Gods can be anything, folks – our jobs, our spouses, our children, even our problems can become Gods – if they become something that we feel is more important than God. And to say something is important in our lives, don’t we have to take an inventory?

I have heard that if you want to see what is your priority in life, look at your checkbook. Yikes! What about our time? Where we put our time is a priority, too. What about our thoughts? Again – if we spend more time thinking about how we are going to make money than we do about God – doesn’t that mean that money is more important to us than God?

I said a moment ago that even our problems can be a God. If we spend more time dwelling on what is wrong in our lives than we do praising God – isn’t that putting our problems before God?

Well, that is my first core value of worship – that we should do it more. We aren’t serious enough about the work of praising God… yes, the WORK of praising God. “Liturgy” comes from a Greek word meaning “the work of the people”. Anything we do in worship is liturgy. Nowadays, “work” has a bad connotation, doesn’t it? It conjures up thoughts of sweat and toil. For example, my idea of “work” is being out and working with wood, hammers, saws, etc… just like on Mission Trip. However, let me tell you two things about that… first of all, not everybody has the same feelings about wood working that I do… there are thousands of people who can’t wait to get off of their jobs each day so that they can go spend it in their garages building things with wood. They find total joy in that work. My uncle is like that. He works in a hospital 40+ hours a week and can’t wait to get home to his wood shop. But, let me also tell you this… when I think of the mission trip – I think of hard work – sweating, hot, waking up too early to get out and hammer – WORK. But, I’m addicted to it – why? Because it gives me a chance to do the work of the Lord in the world… And I guess that is why praising God, to me, is doing the work of the church - another reason that I think worship is so important.

Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore I urge you brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, WHICH IS YOUR SPIRITUAL SERVICE OF WORSHIP.”

You see, I guess I see worship as the “hub” of the church. See our church as a wheel- with spokes coming to the center… I think that center should be worship. Now, again, I might be stepping on a toe- but let me tell you how I see this. I think that it should be mandatory that all church members attend worship. When worship is viewed by the church as the center of the church a number of things happen. First of all, you can see around you the community that is Christ in our world. We are gathered in one place for one reason – to worship. That creates energy – an excitement. And I guess this is where my analogy starts to take off – at least to me…

What happens when a wheel spins? Do you know what kind of energy is produced? It is centrifugal force. When a wheel spins, what happens? The energy creates an outward force – and that is what our worship should do… it should excite people to a place where the energy sends them out into the world to be ministers of Christ – to create and inspire Sunday school classes, to work in the missions of the church, to simply go and be Christians and PRAISE GOD!!!

You know, my aunt told me a story about her granddaughter – my second cousin, Emma. She’s 4 and my aunt was up visiting her in Alaska where she lives and they were going to go to church. Emma, got so excited and exclaimed to my aunt that she was so happy because they were going to church to “see God”. Now, chagrined, my aunt had to explain that they weren’t actually going to “see” God. And at this point, I have to say that I would be scared to death to “see God”… but she was excited. Bubbling up with joy about it. We should all be so excited to “see God”… I guess that is what they mean by coming to Christ as a child. But, she was looking for an actual glimpse of God. I guess my point about all of this is that I think that if we worship like we should – by putting God first, that we do create glimpses of God.

Just about everyone that I have ever met that was drawn into a serious spiritual journey through their church’s worship tell me that what inspired them to join a congregation and really “understand” worship is when they walk in, they are greeted warmly and then – the important stuff – they ALL participated in the worship. The place people meet God in worship is when they are invited into that worship by being swept away in the actual act of worship. When everyone is worshipping, then there are glimpses of God. When the Bible says that “where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am also” however, that doesn’t mean that in an room of 100 people, if there are only 2-3 that are gathered for praising God that God’s spirit would descend and be felt by all…

But I think that in a room of 100 that 2-3 is a great start! If 2-3 will fully participate, it is contagious… don’t be scared – sing out… it doesn’t matter if it is on key or in the wrong time… I have been in congregations where everyone sings… a group of 50 can sound like 100 and 100 can sound like 500… and in that moment, I see a glimpse of God…

You see, in these congregations that everyone is participating, it is understood that worship is a VERB!! NOT A NOUN!!!

Here’s my analogy for this. Have you ever noticed that if you blow into a dog’s face that it just annoys the dog? They usually won’t run away from you, but they usually get a little twisted about that. But, if you get into a car with a dog and roll down the window, they’ll hang their heads out the window in like 50 mph winds?? That is what we need to do folks! We don’t need to have people to worship and expect that someone else is going to sing – that someone else is going to welcome then. That is the same as blowing in a dog’s face. Because when a few people are singing, when a few people are paying attention to the sermon, when a few people are “as a VERB” worshipping, then we aren’t opening the window of Christianity and letting them hang their head out the window?

I mean – for those of us that are conscientious about singing, wouldn’t we all agree that surfing is easier in the ocean than in a bathtub??

Nothing Relaxes Lake Time

2009-07-10T13:22:00.001-05:00

Here we are @ DeGrey Lake in Arkansas and Lib & I had to abandon the
boats and head for the cabins for Reid's all important afternoon naps.
Downtime is really nice! To consider a nap and just listen to the hum
of the AC is such a blessing...especially in this day & age of a
fairly all-encompassing "go go go" mentality of 21st century life.

We are also surrounded this weekend with family and friends. Libby has
known the families that come to the lake every year for her entire
life. So, really, it's more like one big family reunion every year.

Nothing could replace what this "family" does each year by getting
together. There is no amount of card sending, email sending or phone
calls that would allow everyone to bond like we do here. I've just
been doing this for 5 years now and I feel like part of the clan.

I hope that everyone has the opportunity to connect
with people like this. Even if it's just once or twice a year, what
a difference it makes. I'm honored to be part of this!!

The Trip to DeGray Begins...

2009-07-08T13:38:00.000-05:00

Each year, Libby's family-and three other families-head to Lake
DeGray, just outside of Arkadelphia, AR. this has been a tradition for
over 20 years at his point! Wow! Except for managing to stay alive, I
don't think that there's anything I've done for 20 consecutive years!

So, we're packed ip in the car and heading to AR as I write this. Reid
is napping with Hilda (as you can see by the picture) and Libby's
taking a turn driving. I'm trying out blogging via email. Basically, I
write an email, send it to a certain addess, and it posts to my blog.
And, I can do this from the comfort of my cell phone. Awesome!!

I'll be updating this all week & weekend as practice for our trip to
Alaska in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I'll also post to Facebook... So
there should be no shortage of Pope media for you!!

Big Thanks!

2009-07-03T16:09:00.003-05:00

Hey! I just need to throw out a big thanks to my friend, Aaron Medina, who recorded accompaniments for some new French horn music I've written...

Check them out: Click here and scroll down to "Horn Music" - you'll see the "New" emblem there. Let me know what you think...

(Bear in mind that the French horn hasn't been recorded - and, usually, is the melody... enjoy anyway...) :)

Philosophy

2009-06-30T05:54:00.000-05:00

It should be no surprise that I'm a Ben Folds fan. (If you are not familiar, you should be - although, I'll warn you that you will be seeing quite a few of his songs with an "explicit" rating - usually for language.) What I really like about Ben Folds is that most of his songs tell someone's story. In fact, that is pretty much, in my mind, a hallmark of his writing. And yet, I find at least one alternate meaning to all of his songs. As he explains the plight of someone's story, somehow he connects to my story as well.

I was outside doing a little work the other day when I was listening to "Philosophy" - probably one of Ben Folds' more popular songs (and family friendly, too!) And, the bridge of the song really hit home to me. You see, the premise of "Philosophy" is that basically, he's an architect that has a really clear and ambitious view of the skyline... (small nutshell version of the song). But, the bridge goes like this:

"I pushed you 'cause I loved you guys, I didn't realize you weren't having fun. I dragged you up the stairs and told you to fly, you were flapping your arms, you started to cry. You were too high..."

Bam! It hit me! Every time I've interviewed for a job, the question has come up - "What is your greatest weakness?" And, now I have at least a partial answer for them. Really, every church I've been at - to one extent or another, I've felt this tension. It was a tension that dragged me down over and over. It made me tired. Which, really confused me because I am very passionate about music ministry. I also care deeply about the people with whom I worship - the choir, praise team, etc...

It took a line from a Ben Folds song to point out to me that I sometimes push people beyond what they think they can do. I really feel that people can accomplish much more than they think that they can. Much.

But, I don't really spend a lot of time making sure that they are enjoying this ride to "musical excellence" or whatever you may wish to call it. I assume that others get a great deal of satisfaction out of accomplishment. This is not always the case.

I feel like Ben Folds' character in "Philosophy" sometimes. I can see this incredible time when a church is worshipping and each element of that worship is done with the highest integrity, enthusiasm, and respect for God. However, I either don't do a good job of casting that vision, or I just forget that for so many people (and I'm not even saying they are wrong) are much more interested in what they can contribute today - with little interest of what tomorrow may bring.

So - again, life comes back to... balance. My greatest weakness - I tend to push people towards a magical, perhaps even unattainable mountaintop without making sure they are having fun hiking the trail. The trail is important!

This time away from "parish ministry" life is really teaching me a great deal about what I need to do to be a better music pastor... not just a music director. And, I think I'm better for it...

Thanks for listening!!

"Thou Shalt Not" Isn't Good Enough

2009-06-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was at a church the other day and heard a pastor preaching about relationships. I'm "borrowing" his main premise here - because I think it is really cool. I hadn't heard relationships with each other framed quite like this before.

The pastor said that there are a number of things that people don't do in relationships. If you love someone, you don't lie, cheat, steal, murder them... Etc... And, a healthy relationship has a lot of "thou shalt nots" to it. And, they are good and important - but they aren't everything.

His main point was that simply not doing these things to people doesn't put you in a relationship with them - I would assume - mainly because to simple not do these things just means that you haven't offended or hurt anyone. If the "thou shalt nots" were all important in a relationship, then you would have a great relationship with most of the world - simply because you haven't assaulted them at some point.

That's not good enough - or as Ben Folds and William Shatner would say, "I can't get behind that." To truly love someone you've got to be pro-active. You've got to DO something.

I think this particular message was good for me because it points out that when Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor", he meant an active love. Because, after all, I could sit in my house all day, never see anyone and have the rationale that I didn't lie to anyone today - so, I must love everyone. (Can't get behind that!!!)

When Jesus said, "Love thy neighbor", he meant to get out of our comfort zones and boxes and actively love our neighbors... and, by the way, that is everyone.

It's a tough request that Jesus makes of us. Tougher still if you consider that Jesus probably really meant for us to follow it....

I've gotta get on that....

The Name Game

2009-06-27T14:20:00.005-05:00

There's a trend right now going on in denominational churches across the US - perhaps across the world - I don't know. The trend is to eliminate your denominational affiliation from the church's name as well as internal and external printing. The idea being, I suppose, is to distance the church from any stigmas. Each denominational church has their own "media personality" based on the denomination with which they are associated.

I think that the churches who are dropping Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, etc... from their name feel that having that denominational name or logo on the outside of their church may intimidate or put off people who may be looking for a church.

Well, before I start espousing my views, I have to say that I've worked in and worshipped in

churches that have done just that - eliminate to a large extent their obvious connection to their denomination. And, furthermore, at one time, I was even a proponent of such a public relations move for a church.

However, I have begun to think more about that. And, I have several opinions. Let me restate... OPINIONS about it. These are not theological statements or judgements of any kind!

Having said that, I wonder if churches do this "denominational stripping" to circumvent an image problem for the church. If a church is seeking to get rid of its affiliation in order to allow those in the community to believe that the church either has no affiliations whatsoever or is simply not a standard "Lutheran Church" (or whatever the case may be), then I think I have a problem with that.

Removing your affiliation in name only in order to deceive people or trick them into visiting your church because overall your denomination has suffered some public relation problems is severely problematic. First of all, eventually, people will discover your affiliation. True, they may have discovered that your church is "different" and not the stereotypical church - and they very well may stay and be long time members. However, I really feel that if your church has an image problem, that your are either perpetuating that problem or your are helping to remedy the problem. If you truly believe in the doctrine, theology and practices of your denominational background, then aren't you just abandoning ship? You would rather save your local church than try to help those in your community see that the "Methodist Church isn't so bad"?

If the ministry you're going to be doing really is life changing for a community, why allow anyone in your community to think that the church from which you glean your theological perspective is so rotten that even you don't want to be associated with it? If there's an image problem, then I say - fix it! Put more than 2.5% of your budget towards advertising (which is roughly the average amount that churches put towards advertising) and then do something outside your church's walls that allows people to see that your denomination isn't like the poor image that your feel your denominational church has!

Ok - so, what about some other issues I have with "denominational stripping"? I come from a church background. I may be in the minority - but, when looking for a church to worship (whether it be for the long term or just on a Sunday when I'm out of town) I know which churches most strongly practice Christianity in the way that I understand and believe it. Therefore, I tend to seek those sorts of denominations out. So, by not "advertising" your denomination, to me, you have abandoned publicly associating yourself with the theology that makes you, you.

Now, as far as I see it, there's at least two good reasons to abandon your denominational associations. Perhaps your church really isn't very closely related to your denomination and so therefore, you'd actually be deceptive to put your denomination on your sign. Or, perhaps your church is returning to a Biblical perspective of the Church... that is to say that the bible never mentions denominations. Therefore, by one rationale, denominations aren't endorsed by God or Jesus and shouldn't even be in existence. And, if this your reasoning, then I'd really like to hear more about it...