Brian Doerksen was recently interviewed by Christianity Today and was briefly asked about what’s wrong with worship music today. If there’s anybody even remotely qualified and experienced to give an accurate evaluation of the current state of worship music, it would be Brian Doerksen.

Why make an album focused exclusively on God’s holiness?

Two reasons. The positive reason is, when I went to withdraw and seek God at the beginning of last year to learn what he wanted me to do, I had such a powerful encounter with him and his holiness. The more I meditated, the more it became the only thing I wanted to sing about.

The negative reason would be simply my deep concern about some of what is going on in the modern worship explosion—the shallowness, the man-centeredness, the banality. I wanted to do something that was about God and his core attributes. A song like “Holy God” is a God song, not a song about our feelings toward God. It’s not our response to God. So this was my way of saying, “Think on these things.”

Read the rest of the interview here.

Michael Lawrence (Associate Pastor at CHBC) has published a superb 2-part series at Boundless on the theme of attraction. He addresses some serious issues that I myself have struggled with. It’s been personally convicting, as I have many times wondered why I’m not attracted to her (or her..).

Here’s an excerpt from the introduction of part 1:

How many times have I talked to a single guy who wants to get married, only to hear him say that he knows lots of great women? He admits these women have godly characters and fantastic personalities. But he’s not dating any of them. When I ask why not, the reply comes with a sigh. “I’m just not attracted to them.” Pity the single Christian man with high standards and good taste. He can’t help it he’s single. The godly women he knows just aren’t beautiful enough.

What to do? Pastor Lawrence suggests,

So what are you attracted to in a woman? Make a list and then prioritize it. Now do it again and be honest. How many things on your list are matters of mere preference — eye color, body type, etc., and how many are qualities that point beyond the woman to the God whose image she reflects — character, sense of humor, virtues, etc.? What are your highest priorities? There’s nothing wrong with having physical and personality traits on your list of what makes a woman attractive. In fact, you need to be physically and personally attracted to the woman you marry. If you’re not, marriage won’t provide the kind of protection against sexual sin that Paul speaks of (1 Corinthians 7:1-9).

But if the physical or personal is entirely (or mainly) what attracts you and these are your highest priorities, then your problem is not with the women around you. Your problem is with God. The more you are in love with the beauty of Jesus Christ, the more you will be attracted to what you see of Him in the woman you’re dating and the more important it will be to you. The less you love Him, the more important other things about her will become, things like her figure or style.

Read I’m Just Not Attracted To Her: part 1, and part 2.

Give Me An Answer Conference 2008
Immortal Combat: Is It Finished?
Missions, Spiritual Warfare, and the Kingdom of Christ
February 8-9, 2008 @ The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Speakers:

• Dr. Albert Mohler: President of The Southern Baptist Theological
  Seminary and cultural commentator (and host of The Albert Mohler Radio Program)
• Dr. Russell Moore: Dean of The School of Theology and author of The Kingdom of Christ
• Dr. Chuck Lawless: Dean of The Billy Graham School of
  Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth and author of Spiritual Warfare.

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As you can see, I’ve just updated the layout & design of my website here! Finally, after many long hours of scratching my head, it is now online ;-)  (Abit of fit-and-finish still is needed, like in the sidebar I want to have weather & asides widgets!)

Thus, Music Monday comes late yet again. Today I want to share with you “You Are God“–a new worship ballad from Charlie Hall and friends, recorded at this past January’s Passion07 conference:

Lyrics here: Read the rest of this entry »

Sharing & Testimony of my Call to Ministry

I shared the following 10 minute speech with my home church’s English congregation this morning. May this piece of writing be an encouragement to you — wherever you may be on your spiritual journey.

DOWNLOAD & LISTEN:

My church has released the audio of my sharing on its website. Download the MP3 here, or just listen here:

Good morning brothers and sisters!

I address you today, not as someone who is any better or more holy – but as a sinner who has been saved by grace alone – a child of God who has been justified by faith in Christ’s substitutionary death on the Cross. You and me, we are very much alike, for I also am a Christian who struggles in this spiritual journey, and yet—I am preserved by the Holy Spirit to persevere on this mission to make much of Him who has died to make us righteous.

First off, I want to repent and apologize to you for my pride and arrogance. I think over the years, I’ve often said many things that I did not mean or intend to say, or mistakenly come off in the wrong way or have been misunderstood. I know I may often seem very dogmatic about doctrine and how church should be done. And for those times I have unlovingly criticized how or what we’ve done things here at Jaffray, I apologize. I just wish you could know and understand my heart and where I come from, and how much I do love this church…

That you could see what I see every time I have conversations about doctrine and theology, what I picture in my head when I think about the church in all its intended beauty, and why I would ever consider giving up my own career goals to serve the Body of Christ. For what fills my mind every time I think about “church” is Christ Jesus himself on the Cross — He who purchased the church with His very own blood.

As Martin Luther once said,

“This life, therefore, is not righteousness
but growth in righteousness,
… not being but becoming…
We are not yet what we shall be
but we are growing toward it.
The process is not yet finished but it is going on….”

So I hope you can bear with me, imperfect as I am, as I try to be more and more humble in this pilgrimage!

Read the rest of this entry »

Writing

I am finishing off the final touches for my sharing for the “commissioning” service at church, which is happening tomorrow. I’ve been typing out and editing the speech that I originally wrote in my journal, and the process is somewhat frustrating because I have so much to say and yet only 10 minutes to say it all. Here’s to speaking quickly!

Also, I say quote unquote “commissioning” because my pastor told me he’s changed the wording in tomorrow’s bulletin. Apparently, it’s not a “commissioing” service perse, and he’s not going to be giving me a “charge” but a “message” to encourage me personally during the English Service (not joint service, fyi). I really don’t want to care or make a big deal out of it, but as the first congregation member who has grown up in this church and is pursuing full-time ministry and seminary, I find that this will be a defining moment for Jaffray. As a church, how this send-off service is going to be conducted will create a precedence for how the church leadership treats future seminarians from the Jaffray’s own congregation.
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Rob Bell doesn’t seem to think so. Or does he? Maybe he does, and I’m just confused at his evasive indirectness. If he does believe in a literal hell, he’s seems very quiet about it — especially for somebody who apparently has graduated from seminary. At least, that is what I gather after reading this recent interview where he simply dodges answering the question in a very Emergent kind of way: Read the rest of this entry »