Paul Baloche’s Blog

Visionary Songwriters

by Paul Baloche

There have always been visionaries—those who catch sight of a new move of God before others see it. The visionary feels a great urge to DO that thing the Lord has shown him—and do it RIGHT NOW. So he starts out boldly and soon finds himself the target of sticks and stones hurled by those who don’t understand. Stories abound about the church’s resistance to new music forms:

The first monk who experimented with part-singing was excommunicated. J.S. Bach almost lost his job as a church musician because some thought his music was unsuitable.

In 19th Century Scotland, Ira Sankey, Evangelist D.L. Moody’s great song leader, was vilified by some for writing “human hymns” with newly composed lyrics instead of new tunes for the Psalms of the Bible, and for having the audacity to draw attention to himself by singing them as solos.

Want some more? Take a look at this:

Top Ten reasons for Opposing the New Music Trend Adapted from a statement directing against the use of hymns, in 1723:

1.   It is too new, like an unknown language.
2.   It is not as melodious as the more established style.
3.   There are so many songs that it is impossible to learn them all.
4.   It creates disturbances and causes people to act in an indecent and disorderly manner.
5.   It places too much emphasis on instrumental music rather than on godly lyrics.
6.   The lyrics are often worldly, even blasphemous.
7.   It is not needed, since preceding generations have gone to heaven without it.
8.   It monopolizes the Christian’s time and encourages them to stay out late.
9.   These new musicians are young upstarts, and some of them are lewd and loose persons.

This is what was being said in 1723!!!

Even in our own time, those of us who have tried to change church music have often been misunderstood. The way of the innovator has not always been easy. Of course, willingness to persevere in the face of criticism sometimes is laudable. Criticism does have some value as a gauge: if we’re getting no criticism at all, we probably aren’t accomplishing much that’s fresh and new and powerful.

On the other hand, if we’re getting a lot—especially from those who have walked with the Lord much longer than we have—maybe we need to back up a bit and listen. There’s always the possibility we’ve gone too far too fast and we’re over the line. I remember when I first started leading worship at my church there were some who complained that it sounded too much like a nightclub!

The Lone Ranger Bites the Dust

The secret to being a successful innovator in Christian music lies largely in attitude. (We’re talking now about true Spirit-led innovation, which means doing something new, not just blindly copying the latest rebellious fad and putting a Christian label on it, as some have done. The scripture tells us to “reprove the unfruitful works of darkness,” not imitate them.) If the visionary says to himself, “I’m gonna do my kind of music my way (for the Lord, of course) and if the church doesn’t ‘understand’ my music, I’ll do it without them; I don’t need anyone but Jesus, anyway” – he will fail. He will be perceived as a maverick and his attempts won’t be supported. The Lone Ranger will bite the dust. (Eph. 5:11).

The truth is, he does need the church. Whatever we do in ministry must not be on our own. This doesn’t mean we have to ask permission from some church authority every time we write a song, but it does imply an accountability and a willingness to accept correction on matters of doctrine and practice. Carol Owens once said “As Christians, we are all parts of the Body of Christ, and what we do in his name affects the world’s perception of Christianity, reflects on the church and has implications wider than our own careers. A detached body part moving around by itself is the stuff of horror movies.” On the other hand, if one goes about it in the right spirit, the visionary has the opportunity to bring the church along with him into an understanding of what God has shown him.

Of course, this takes patience. He’ll need to slow down at times and wait for the church to catch up. Occasionally he’ll take a leap that’s just too broad for those without his vision to follow. When this happens, he will have to retrace his steps, rejoin his followers, maybe even apologize, do some explaining and teaching and then coax them along step by step until they, too, see his vision. Besides patience he’ll need love – a genuine love and respect for the church. He’ll need to listen to wise counsel. He’ll need forbearance – the Bible tells us to forbear one another (this could be translated “put up with one another”). And he will need faith – faith that if God has shown him something, God can also show it to others; and faith in the others, that they’ll be able to see it when it’s shown to them.

Thank God for the visionaries – the people who strive to see and hear and do the will of God even at the cost of being misunderstood, who put ministry first and are not corrupted by commercialism. They are on the cutting edge, and without them no real progress is ever made.

Write on!

This is an excerpt from the book “God Songs” written by Paul Baloche and Jimmy and Carol Owens.  Available at www.leadworship.com

Revealing the Divine

by Paul Baloche

Music affects everyone differently. Type “Most impacting music of all time” into an Internet search engine, and the results are astounding. There are over 60 pages of websites commenting on a vast range of music claiming to be the best. Clearly the influence of music is widespread throughout the world and throughout generations. It is the specifics that differ, but the overall impact is the same. Music takes the mind and soul to a different plane.

From my own experience, my guess is that the profound nature of music lies in its connection to our emotions – our response to this divine expression. As I write this, I’m in the middle of a 10-day Canadian tour. Relentless travel and very little sleep leave me a bit foggy as we race to an airport to catch a place to the next city. As I pass through security, I begin to hear music that immediately affects my attitude. It’s The Mills Brothers – from the 1930s – “Across the Alley From the Alamo.” Suddenly, I find myself smiling, nodding my head and escaping the rigors of the road.

Close to Divine

To further explore how music impacts humanity, I picked the brains of some friends and acquaintances to see if their thoughts mirrored mine. One such friend, an amateur (or part-time) philosopher, explained her understanding of music as such:

“Our language is limited. It fails to capture the nuances of emotion and experience. Instruments, rhythm, and sound express longings and feelings that our words simply can’t convey. When lyrics and music are combined, our deepest emotions are given voice. Music reaches nerves in my heart that I wouldn’t otherwise know were exposed. The best music – the most original, the most truthful – expresses the humanity is us all.”

The nature of music is that it expresses something that we as humans have a hard time putting our finger on. God created music, but He has also invited us to join His symphony with our musical compositions. And our creations have the ability to pull our emotions, invade our experiences, and transform our relationship with the divine. As my band and I toured through the French-speaking part of Canada this week, I could see once again how God inexplicably uses music to help usher people into His presence, transcending language, culture and generations.

His Image

Another friend and fellow musician paints a similar image of music with his insightful description:

“Harmonies and rhythms can bypass the intellect and go straight to the subconscious to evoke feelings and emotions. My guess is that the place in ourselves that we hear, feel or sense God is close to the subconscious place that we feel music or dream dreams. It is somewhere almost outside of ourselves – somewhere that seems larger than life.”

“While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came upon Elisha” (2 Kings 3:15 NIV).

It seems to be a common theme that music touches people in a very different place than the rest of the sensory world can. It impacts us on a level that is just as hard to describe as our spirituality. And it is with its beautiful and mysterious existence that music reveals a part of God’s character. Like music, He is mysterious and able to affect us beyond what words have the ability to describe. And just as God breathed the world into existence, it seems He also threaded music into the fabric of our being. The ultimate musician and music lover, God made us like Him.

Bridge

We serve a God who is so profound, mysterious, creative and unique that our confined understandings cannot possibly comprehend Him. I think there is no stronger proof that music reveals a part of God’s divine nature than the fact that it evokes that same profound response. There is something in it that is above our understanding. Perhaps this is the definition of art, of truth, of divinity. Either way, we are participating and experiencing a truly timeless and heavenly expression.

Apply It

During a training time, ask each team member to list five songs that have had an emotional impact on their lives. Encourage them to describe the experience and then ponder why it had such an effect. Consider the melody, the chord structure and any other elements that may have contributed to the impact of the song. Then talk about ways your team can help convey the connection that is possible with the way they approach every song they play in a service of worship.