I play sometimes with a church orchestra. To me it seems as if they are growing and growing. Young, old, poor quality, great players, has-beens, and wanna bees, mixed with pros and students. The Choir is the same. Bigger is better is not just in this ministry it is every where. I wonder when enough is enough.
Here is my personal thought on the subject. I'm not talking scripture here - just my opinion.
I was called to be a Christian and a musician in my early youth. It has never been a doubt that I would not serve this way. Should not ALL church performing musicians have this calling? And would God give that calling to someone not musically inclined, no sense of time or pitch, no appreciation for the "art" of practice?
To me it seems only logical that way too many folks enjoy the music ministry and way too few are really called.
When on the road I performed in literally thousands of churches. And in all that time I heard only a few singers and players that really were musical. How many ? Probably less than 3 or 4 hundred.
In my church I suspect there are somewhere in the vicinity of a handful who have the gift. Now how do you make a handful into a choir and an orchestra?
It's easy. You teach what you know, mentor the young, start a school of music. Use the musicians to cultivate the untrained and weed out those who could end up WASTING whatever talent they have in another area. To me it is tantamount to sin when we allow the non-musical to minister in the music ministry!
Ok you ask "why should the devil get all the good talent" Because they are driven out of the church orchestra and choir because they "don't fit in" they are too critical. They are uppity. The real reason is jealousy. I recently saw a fine young player come into an orchestra only to be driven out by the church politics that says who ever has been there the longest plays the 1st part.
I know of fine young singers who were driven out by choir members that did not like the place the new one sat in at rehearsal. Yes and this is in Christian ministry.
I'm 62 years old now and am so tired of seeing the same old sin and piety, and selfishness in church ministry.
Get over it folks. God doesn't need us or our music to make Him happy. He wants our obedience. Are you obedient? Are you wasting space in the music ministry or are you a mentor?
We don't need rebellion, we need revival in out lives. We need to know God FIRST, HUNGER FOR HIM, SPEND TIME WITH HIM
Then all these things will be added, or subtracted unto us...
By the way - if you are too old to sound good - retire - teach - mentor - stop polluting the praise ok this should make a few start thinking:) gR
This neat note was posted on TPIN - Neat stuff / Leon Merian
I don't remember if I heard about Leon Merian on TPIN or at another forum but I just finished reading his autobiography "The Man Behind the Horn" and enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to you. Lots of interesting anecdotes and lots of pictures with other trumpet players, etc. In his youth (and even into his adulthood) he described himself as being "too fiery, too feisty, too aggressive, too hotheaded, arrogant and impatient."
But after a near drowning experience (around 1989) he said "I realized it was God who had been protecting me all these years . . . that this was the real thing, what I had needed and been searching for all my life."?
Leon said "God gave me this chance to be a faithful servant, to glorify Him, and I committed myself to Him at that very moment to do just that."? Quite an interesting life story!
...If you have an interesting note for us to post please send it from HERE
