Moment Musicaux

Part I of Youth Sunday kicked off yesterday! It was a good 6 hours of non-stop action in church for me, and I’m still feeling rather dazed from it all. Plus a BBQ that night, it’s just TOO tiring! But the whole event ran pretty smoothly, thank God.

Roy and I are very pleased with the fruits of our labour. I’m glad that we managed to come up with ‘exhibits’ and items that were more dynamic and refreshing then the previous years’. A lot of adults were pretty curious and got a kick out of teasing the Humanoids. Heh heh heh.

The Humanoids for Part I: Tengjin the Nerd, Daniel the Know-it-all, Joel the Over-achiever, Jean the Emo-kid, Lydia the Try Hard.

These are the 5 people you didn’t share with…

(stolen from Dorothy)

Publicity posters/FRIEND evangelism project by Dorothy. Copy by me…

(stolen from Dorothy again)

A BIG THANK YOU to the following people for their help in the various areas - we really couldn’t have done it on our own:

Ps Wesley, Dominique, Dorothy/Ben Eng, Doreen and the booth people, the Humanoids, Evan, Leon, Rose and Bryan Eng, Qiheng, Wenyao and the Youth Band, Tay Ye and the Logistics crew, Darius and the Ushers, Qin Zhen and the Dancers, Vanessa, Tessa, the Youth Party people and ALL THE YF-ers! The item rocks!

Part II is coming this Sunday… Less tiring, but nonetheless important.

For God’s glory!!

"If I profess the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attactking, I’m not confessing Christ, however boldly I’m professing Christ."

– Martin Luther

A little overdue, but here it is… 

Benita Lim – Thai Mission Trip December 2007 Reflections

After waiting for 4 years to go on a mission trip, I’m very grateful that I received many blessings prior to and during the trip. This trip was actually a birthday present from my friends and loved ones by my request. Many emotions and thoughts assaulted me throughout the course of the trip, but I’ll condense it into three main lessons that I’ve learnt.

People-relations

Living and working together with a whole group of people of different ages and backgrounds was no easy task. It trained my patience and also made me see how important teamwork and communication really is – especially in a foreign land. From the programme’s preparations to transitions between flights, it was essential that we accepted each other’s differences in personality, priorities and character and were sensitive to them. As Paul teaches us in 1 Cor 3, we’re fellow workers in God’s building. We each hold different roles in the team, and we should be responsible with our duties while carefully laying Christ’s foundation in Thailand.

Trusting God’s sovereignty

Letting go and resting in God’s power was a great lesson to learn. Through our sharings, some were disheartened that the children were restless during our activities. Some wondered if the message hit home. However, as much as the Thais were steeped in their culture, we got to see that God is the one who causes the seeds we’re watering to grow. That only He can open the eyes of the Thai’s hearts to accept Him. It’s definitely by God’s grace that the missionaries before us have planted the relational and gospel seeds among the Thais. Getting to schools (again, steeped in tradition) and being able to present God’s word to them was very much easier.

We also did something never-before-attempted in previous mission trips: Caroling in public places. We went to a popular ChiangMai night market and Big C, a hypermarket. It was interesting yet heart-wrenching, singing carols and Christian songs to many ears belonging to the lost. But it greatly encouraged us when the odd person stopped in the busy human traffic to listen to us and even sang along. These events also made us rely on faith and constant prayer as we ministered to the Thais through song and sincerity.

A trip to the biggest temple in ChiangMai further emphasized the spiritual darkness that encompasses Thailand. There were so many idols and devout Buddhists, and it pained to see them earnestly seeking for answers in all the wrong places. We gathered in silent prayer at the foot of the temple after, and once again committed Thailand to the Lord.

Thai Christians

Although we tended to make various comparisons between the Thais and the people back home, one stark observation was surely the Thai Christian’s persevering faith and love for their unsaved fellow men. This is a good reminder for us, comfortable in our multi-racial and accepting society, to open our eyes and bring back the lost around us.

I thank God for the opportunity to go on the mission trip. I must admit, however, that I didn’t fully make use of my limited time there and took things lightly. This will be something for me to take note about on future trips.

I’m back from a reflective mission trip from Thailand. It was quite a whirlwind of activities, and I’m only greeted with more when I’m back. Doesn’t help that I’m trying to catch up on my rest and am on the brink of falling sick, bleh. Anyhow, I wish all a very blessed Christmas! +)

This year’s sermon at Church pointed out that Christ’s birth actually holds much more meaning than simply a ’saviour coming down to earth’ — He, God, being a foetus in a mere mortal’s womb. A weak and helpless child that was subjected to the harshness of the earth, when He could have easily made a grand entrance as King and force us to become His slaves. But He chose to become man to be a servant, friend, teacher and saviour to mankind. A human of compassion and emotions, yet He remained in the Father and was sinless.

Awesome!

Quick updates:

• My band is playing for the final Stasis gig, Stasis10. We’re the first band at 2pm. Like most of the other Stasis gigs, this gig has some respectable bands playing (B-Quartet!), so do come! Pre-sale tickets are at $12. At-the-door, $20. More details on ticketing here. Also, a quick interview on the band for the Stasis gig by Kevin Mathews.

  We are also one of the 30 bands pre-selected for Baybeats 2008 auditions. Hopefully we’ll get to play in Singapore’s largest Indie festival next year… =]

• I’m amazed at how easily I took it. Amazed at the virtually zero malice I felt, as compared to that of a couple of years ago. Or am I still as naive as before? Childlike, childlike. I’ll have to be really look to God for strength, that’s for sure. Total reconciliation is not in place yet, and that’s still slight signs of the situation being otherwise. Let’s see how it goes.
• Christmas musical at Adam’s church was really quite a professional piece. Thank God for the many new believers that night. My church’s concert was quite a fresh breath of air too, and Rev Yap’s sermon was uh, hard-hitting — on the ears. Hah. But it was a meaningful one too.

It’s been 19 hours since I last ate, and I’m feeling quite ‘high’ from the lack of food.

Why am I fasting? It’s my church’s Prayer and Fast week so my CG has decided to fast together for 24 hours (hmm I guess I started early) and pray about things that we want to committ to the Lord. Bear aptly puts it in his latest SMS to encourage us:

"It’s lunch time. Don’t forget to not eat. It’s around 13 hours of non eating, guess some of us are tempted to eat. Jesus was tempted by the devil to eat when He was fasting too. Do let us pray for each other. Fasting is indeed just an outward sign of humility, but if we are fasting with right reasons, fasting also does remind us among other reasons, that God is the One who provides us with food everyday and the One who gives us breath."

It means a lot, especially when Bear himself is the most hardcore foodie among all of us. I left my wallet back in the office today when I went to meet up with Emily and Crystal for ‘lunch’ — we ended up reminiscing — and yeah, the day seems to pass really slowly. It doesn’t help that my colleague is eating and I’m smelling the tomato sauce from her food… Still, I’ll persevere. With lots of wind from my gastric = FART hurhurhur.

Things that I’m praying about:

• New job opportunities
• Family health
• My cousin, Jia Hui
• My brother who’s studying overseas
• Adam and I
• More people to step forward to serve in church
• The Youths
• Thai Mission Trip

There are a lot more things to pray for, but I’ll focus on these points… My brain is functioning at only 20% with all the lack of food.

May all of you have a blessed weekend ahead!

"Loneliness is one of the most painful yet necessary experiences in life. People feel incomplete, empty, or even starving inside. It is also a strong motivating force, just as food hunger is. Loneliness can make us do almost anything to fill up the hole inside. It is easy to see how, when you find someone you are drawn to, you can quickly fill up your life with that person.

Loneliness is stronger than resolve, willpower, or discipline. People will promise themselves not to get too involved, and find that their promise melts when their relational hunger meets a person they desire. All of a sudden, they are spending every evening together and settling into a pattern of being a couple.

Loneliness is not the enemy here, however. When we are lonely, it is a signal that we are alive. God created us with the drive to connect and be attached to himself and others. It is a good thing, because loneliness ultimately leads us to relationship, and that is where God wants all of us. We are all members of one body (Ephesians 4:25). Relationship cures loneliness.

However, dating is not the kind of relationship that cures loneliness, and that is the real problem here. Relationships that resolve loneliness must have certain elements, such as safety, unconditional love, and deep commitment. These elements help the person take in the love they need, get connected to life, and stay in relationship. Dating does not have these elements. At least at first, it is exploratory and low-commitment in nature. So lonely people often get deeply and quickly connected to someone. Then, when conflicts arise, they are devastated because they invested such deep parts of their hearts and souls in the relationship.

If you are getting too close, too soon out of loneliness, use it as a signal to get connected with some good, solid, non-dating relationships. Deal with loneliness before it backfires on you. […]

Your aloneness makes you get involved in relationships that you know are not going to last. It also keeps you from being alone long enough to grow into a person who does not have to be in a relationship in order to be happy. There is a very important rule in dating and romance: To be happy in a relationship, and to pick the kind of relationship that is going to be the kind you desire, you must be able to be happy without one.

As Psalm 1:3 says of the person who is growing into all of God’s ways and law: "He is like a tree planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers." The whole life is a full life. And the by-product of fullness is that the fulfilled person is also a very attractive one.

Dating was never meant to cure aloneness. It was meant to fulfil adult needs for male-female romantic relationship on the way toward marriage."

– extracted from p. 165, "Too Much, Too Fast", Making Dating Work: Boundaries in Dating, Dr. H. Cloud & Dr. J. Townsend

Matthew 7
Judging Others

1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

6"Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

I must find time for rest! My schedules are crazy, especially the weekends. I’ve been out of the house on an average of 15 hours a day — and it’s usually from 8am onwards. Too crazy. I went for a Youth Leader’s training seminar at Toa Payoh Methodist Church on Saturday morning. It wasn’t too bad even though half the time I was fidgeting, trying to stay awake. Tired lah.

(The American speakers with us coaches.)

The topic of tailoring worship to the younger generation stirred me quite a bit. Being brought up in a Presbyterian church, I’m quite a traditional worshipper at heart. I struggled a little with this rather ‘radical’ message but after much deliberation, I came to terms with the fact that my generation may require a different style of worship to properly engage in one. Not that our worships have to become like that of charismatic churches; I see that it boils down to carefully balancing doctrinally-sound worship with one that our youths can identify with.

However, I thought that this particular speaker was too scanty on the topic. There was too much to talk about and too little time, and I felt uncomfortable with the lack of contextual support. Perhaps I was being thick, but he seemed to be a bit incoherent at times.

On the whole, I found the talks enriching and useful, especially the part on encouraging theological reflection. What distinguishes church fellowship from social gatherings is exemplified by our bond in Christ. And in order to up this crucial factor, the Word as the foundation of fellowship is essential.

But wait, there’s more! (ha ha.) Ahem.

We shouldn’t discount adults from the Youth Ministry. They have a wealth of experience that we can learn and tap from. I’m glad that we’ve done something along these lines — we’ve started a ‘I pray for Youth’ project, where adults each ‘adopt’ two youths (not just those in the Youth Fellowship [YF], but all the youths in Glory) to pray for. All the girls have been ‘adopted’, and we’re encouraging more men to step forward to ‘adopt’ the remaining boys. Baby steps, but it’s a start. And it’s been heartening to see some of the adults take one step further to actually write encouragement cards to them!

After this seminar, some discussions among the YF coaches are definitely in order. I’m supposed to write a report about it anyway, so this will be it! Heh. +)

NB: This report is from pure memory and what spoke to me most during the seminar.

Church camp made me miss being work-less and school-less all over again. But it was a good spiritiual refreshment; it’s been too long since I properly sat down quietly and managed to reflect effectively. I’ll put up the pictures later.

This year’s church camp saw more new faces than old, which was still great since it encourages all of us to interact with those we have never did. The camp theme: Glue-ing in Fellowship. The speaker, Rev. Timothy See, brought us back to the heart of what a ‘church’ is. In a nutshell, a ‘church’ is a body of people, each given gifts in different areas, a la body parts. So in order for the whole body to work together, it has to be in agreement and know each other well. Which leads to the main reason for fellowship. And in order for the church to work outwards (i.e. Evangelism), the church must first let Him work in them.

This camp was mostly run by the Youth Fellowship, and I as music coach was in-charge of the worship segments. There was a bit of a scare in the first worship segment, but the PA problem was soon solved before the next. The rest of the worships went well, albeit the fact that we had no personal monitors after those technical issues. Kudos to the Logistics team (led by Rose for her first time) for doing a good job in making sure things ran smoothly.

The games were fun — too vigorous for many of the adults — but they were already very easy by the YF standards! Well even if they were ’xiong’, the adults were very fun, spontaneous and competitive in their own right. Most of us agreed that being competitive (in games) is the Glory culture, from young to old ones alike.

My group was Ang Ku Kuey (we were named after popular local fare), a vocal group that had really deep discussion topics, ranging from pre-destination to talents and spiritual gifts. I gained a lot of insights from the adults, and it was especially heartwarming when they shared about their struggles, even if only briefly. Even the baby of the group, 13-year-old Marcus, was being his articulate self. I hardly see anyone at his age this willing to pray out loud, clearly and with hints of wisdom. (:

And yet again, the burden of learning to love those who are hard to love always nagged at me. The number of cases around me requiring such attention have been on the rise. I know how it feels like to be treated differently, and God probably had His reasons for letting me experience it some months ago. And my tongue, my tongue. It’s a weakness I have to really watch.

The ‘highlight’ of the fun I had (apart from Wii-ing) had to be the buggy I rented with Aaron! We went crazy — I was warned not to be reckless by countless number of people — and even erm, off-roads. Heh. Hey I wasn’t that bad (or reckless) a driver. 

Thank God that the weather was great. I was so glad to be able to soak up the sun and play my heart out once more. So yes. Pictures up when I get sufficient ones! Praise God again for a great church camp! :)

– By Elder Andrew Sabaratnam. Elder Andrew is an Academic Director at NP’s School of Engineering, with 19 years of lecturing under his belt. (A Young Adult Fellowship Talk, 12 May 2007. Here are some pertinent notes I took.)

Why do we have to work? God first created man to take care of His creation. It was when man sinned, where work became toil (Genesis 3:17-19).

So first and foremost, we should learn to see our vocation as our calling, rather than it simply being a job. He has placed us in that workplace for a purpose. From there, we’ll be able to understand how we can be a light to the world and live a life worthy of the calling we have received (Ephesians 4:1).

An example to take would be Esther. She was a Jew, an orphan, who eventually became a Persian queen to the King Xerxes. He was a King whom nobody could meet unless there was an appointment made; this extended to even Esther herself. Amidst politics that stemmed from her uncle’s refusal to bow in worship to the conniving prime minister, the king was insinuated by the latter to do a Jewish holocaust. This meant that Esther herself was liable.

As the Jewish community mourned, Mordecai, her uncle, said to her (Esther 4:13-14), "Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

He persuaded her to stand up to speak to the king, and her action saved the lives of thousands of Jews.

She was put there by God for a purpose; so are we in our current situations.

Next, we have to free ourselves of the notion that every job we have must be weighed by its financial worth. We can rest in the promise that God cares about everything that He has created, what more us who are made in His image. Being taken in too much by monies will divert our attention from listening to Him and taking note of His direction and admonishments.

It’s also then, when we will be able to listen to the still small voice. We are reminded not to separate work and spiritual life. With a close spiritual walk with God, we will be conscious about His word and our actions in the workplace.

On vocational integrity:

2 Timothy 2:15 - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth."

1. (15a) Do your best, no matter how much you like or dislike your work. Again, it ties back to perspective. Seeing your job as a calling means acknowledging that your job is in God’s plan for you. So when we work, we work for Him.

2. (15b) Doing your work truthfully and handle the truth correctly. In circumstances faced with moral and rule bending, ask yourself if such is the environment you’d want to continue working in.

3. 2 Corinthians 5:16-19 … Be committed to the message of reconciliation as Christ reconciled the world to Himself, not counting man’s sins against them.
   
   Regard no one from a worldly point of view. Man disappoints, but God never does. Also, do everything generously. Freely serve, as Christ served us. Serve in response to Christ’s love and do it in His name.
   

Finally, take the Sabbath rest. God rested on the seventh day of creating the world, and we should follow suit. It doesn’t have to be a Saturday or Sunday per se — there is a reason — to prevent us from seeing work as a burden. And thus prevents us from burning out.

— 

Romans 12:3 — "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you".

"Gratitude is based on the belief that God is painting a picture that will turn out for His glory regardless of our present circumstances.

[…] 

Faith, if it is true faith, is not placed in circumstances or in the directions in which our affairs seem to be moving but in God’s character. His character never varies. This is why our faith should not vary and why our gratitude may include all things."

~ Walking in Fellowship with God: Discples’ prayer life, T.W. Hunt & Catherine Walker(1997)

I just attended a one-and-a-half-day Presbyterian Synod Youth Leader’s camp. I found the reminder of my initial calling to leadership very, very refreshing and timely. All the ‘noise’, worries and activities that have captured me at the present moment may well have clouded my mind from the ministry that I once had so much passion in. The speaker, Rev. Jimmy Tan, was extremely clear, logical and organised. And humourous. He definitely knew what he was talking about and pretty much saved the day from the uh, rather redundant translation.

Anyway, this re-assessment also reminded me of how God has been faithfully present and working in my life, moulding and shaping my character for my future. It’s amazing, really, to think back on how my whole life has been led by Him, slowly unfolding His plans to prepare me for all the ups and downs, highs and lows — I’ve been so blessed.

Now that I’m almost done with school, I’m prepared to start work to help support the family. Dad’s going into full-time theological studies. No more DotA/LAN games or unmeritable activities (not that DotA is one lah) for me; time management is a must now. It’s a long (but amazing) story how things have unfolded, but I shall leave that for next time.

Here’s a Prayer of Serenity that Rev. Jimmy mentioned. It spoke to me immediately (read: dry creative spell for IMC), and I’d like to share with you.

Prayer of Serenity 

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. Courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

QT of the day (which I sorely needed).

Phil 4:6-7

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Plus action taken on my part, of course. I will pull through!

Blessed Christmas to all!

Singapore hasn’t been at her best weather for Christmas, but it’s an even greater reminder to me that Christmas really isn’t about the festivity. Christmas comes once every existing year; Jesus’ birth happened only once: to last an eternity (:

Haven’t been online for the longest time (what, 10 days?) because my modem ‘was spoilt’. And there’s been the youth camp, plus many Christmas rehearsals in church ‘cos I’m playing the timpani and back-up singing.

(I’m trying not wonder how much I’m lagging behind in schoolwork right now.)

Regardless, having no online connectivity only pointed out a glaring fact — that I also waste much precious time on the Internet. I managed to finish reading two books of the five or six that I’ve really read this year, slept earlier and spent more time with the family in the time I had without the net. Hooray!

Christmas’ been nice (albeit busy) though, despite the fact that Mr A. is in Canada visiting his relatives. =( Carolling was fun, bluffing my way through the chords on the guitar before my fingers felt really tender. The services were great, responses to the altar call was good (: Lunch at Hai Tien Lo with the 2nd uncle and family today was fantastic too. My stomach (and exhaust pipe) is kind of feeling the after-effects of stuffing myself silly though, sigh.

Went back to the company for the Christmas party too! They were mad, as usual — drag queens, loads of jokes and jibes, high and hyper people. I miss all of them, really! So here are some of the dress-up competition pictures I tried to take that night to round off this post. Try to spot the um, real drag queen. Cheers. (:

 

This is my first camp as a coach rather than a camper. And because school was still going on, I couldn’t be around for many of the activities and messages.

I was griping during a brief, impromptu sharing session with the logistics ministry and a few coaches how I’d personally felt ‘left out’ this camp. But when I thought about it again a few minutes after I said that, I saw how self-centered my thinking actually was.

I was feeling ‘left out’ because most of my closest friends in church were busy preparing for camp and the Thailand mission trip, whereas I was just hovering about, clueless and feeling unneeded.

Upon reflection, I realized what I’ve learnt from being ‘not involved’. I’m always used to being in the thick of the action, wanting to be involved in everything because I don’t like sitting around doing nothing. This time, I was doing less and seeing more – I made more observations than I usually did and spoke to more youths that I haven’t really spoken to.

Most of the youths I’ve spoken to agree that this year’s camp vibe was pretty different. A positive kind of different. I felt the same too.

On the last night of the camp, it was tradition that the youths were allowed to stay up to play till late, if not, the whole night through. But a heartwarming sharing session happened instead, and could have lasted more than the 3 hours it took.

It takes much courage to stand up and speak to a crowd. And it definitely takes more than just courage for one to tear down their own young, developing egos and admit to weakness in front of their peers. I still say, It takes the most courage, self-discipline and determination to make a resolution – and stick to it.

Dear youths, I’m really proud of you all! It’s my hope and prayer that you guys will continue to display the love you all did during the camp, and continue to grow spiritually in Christ. (:

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/online/story/0,3605,1234827,00.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6237364/ 

Serene brought to my attention the use of microchips that people are starting to implant in their bodies. For medical purposes and commercial purposes alike — this is telling of what the Bible has stated in Revelation 13:  

11Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. 12He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men. 14Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, 17so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

 18This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.

Signs of the end time? Well, keep watching, and praying. 

• "The High Cost of Faith" — An article on Hillsong Church.

The above-mentioned article that I came across on wooQ’s blog reminded me once again on what worship should really be about. I’ve never felt comfortable at any Festival of Praise events (which I’ve only attended 1 and 1/3 of), nor any worship sessions that have the barest semblence to something called MTV.

It’s unsettling how the audience would head bang to the pop sounds, scream at guitar solos, swoon when the bass runs, applaud and cheer their lungs out when the drums start double-pedalling. And all the masked, extravagant shouts of "Hallelujah!" by the lead vocalist. I mean, song leader.

Alright, alright. That’s left to be said by God.

I believe that music is a tool. And tools can be manipulated by human hands, both negatively and positively.

David calmed King Saul with his lyre; the Levites ministered through music. There’re many other instances in the Bible which involve singing and music, which mostly take place when the Lord showers His blessings. But music can also be used negatively. To draw people deep into technicalities; to pull the unassuming down hatred’s path.

After a brief search on worship, I found that there rarely (or even none) is any reference to music in the same context. When ‘worship’ is mentioned, people are bowing down in reverence and awe for the Lord. Or building an altar for sacrifice.

That said, a great amount of discernment is still required at all services and events alike. Even when ‘overwhelmed’ and emotional, we have to be clear about ourselves. Whether the heart is genuinely reflecting upon the Lord and praising Him, or has inadvertently been stirred up by the fantastic musicianship.

Quoting Jas, "If fantastic or flawless music is required to praise God, then we might as well save ourselves the trouble and commission world-class musicians to do the music while we sing, regardless of their spiritual background."

I’m not saying that music doesn’t have to be played well. Rather, it serves as a support to contemplation and praise, not a distraction. Poorly co-ordinated music distracts. Loud music distracts. Funky music distracts. So yes, it’s up to the congregation’s discretion.

Another point of ponder: service should always come from the heart.

It’s my stand that no one should be ‘forced’ into serving. Essentially, serving should be part of your want to return God a portion of what He has blessed you with. Your talents, your living conditions, your gifts, etc. Don’t let it border on becoming a wont, self-gratification, or routine.

So ultimately, it’s between you and God. Remember — He searches every part of you as you serve. And all He wants is a holy and pleasing sacrifice.

Have you had your lines blurred? Be very aware.
(I do struggle every now and then, too.)

What is your point of view? 

Proverbs 11:12
"A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbour,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue."