Justin and Faith, April 2004

Here's a picture of Justin and Faith from April 2004. They're at Buescher State Park in Smithville, Texas.

Dan Castro to Appear at FBC Wimberley

Dan Castro is appearing at a banquet at FBC Wimberley tomorrow night. He will be speaking about his book, Critical Choices. Dan is a lifelong friend of mine. Leslie and I look forward to seeing his presentation. If you would like to read more about Dan and his book, check him out at his website. I've read the book from cover to cover and give it high marks. So get the book. And if you're coming tomorrow night, buy one then. It's worth the read. Here's my review from Amazon.com:

This has been one of the most thought-provoking books I've read in a long time. I like books that remind me of things I already instinctively know. The more you read books like these, the better chance you have of living by the life-principles set forth in them. What makes "Critical Choices" unique is its combination of stories/anecdotes and principles. The stories Daniel tell have everything to do with the precepts throughout his book. They serve to reinforce the main points.

The reader will find that the wisdom of the ages is evident in this book. One of the most encouraging themes is the fact when we make mistakes, we need to learn from them, and move on. We need to not allow temporary setbacks to keep us down.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is on p. 158: "The true test of a person's characer is how he acts when he thinks no one is watching." Again, I've heard this before, but being reminded of it again in this book reinforces the truth and timelessness of this particular principle.

This is a great read for yourself, and a great gift for a friend. I've bought a couple already!

Thomas Jefferson and Religious Liberty

I was helping my daughter with homework this morning. We were learning a few things about Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of the United States. I found it interesting that he dictated what he wanted on his tombstone: "Author of the Declaration of American Independence, of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and Father of the University of Virginia."

So much more could have been written, like "Third president of the United States," "Responsible for the Louisiana Purchase," etc. Anyway, it's the second item on his tombstone I want to talk about, the idea of religious freedom. I like that Jefferson authored this bill. Would I like all in America to be Christians? Of course. But I would want them to be Christians of their own accord, and without any governmental coercion.

As it stands, all religions have come into this country with equal footing. Nothing wrong with that. It just makes Christians realize that we have to work harder at getting the gospel of Christ out into our nation and the world. America is such a cafe of religions. And tolerance is the buzzword today. To say that Christ is the only way to salvation (John 14:6 and Acts 4:12) is just being narrow-minded. Not really. I'm only parroting what we hear in the secular media. Christians can have an impact on this world. But it's going to come when we truly live out the Christian life, and tell others the good news about Christ.

Back to Thomas Jefferson and Virginia. The idea of religious liberty is still very strong in Virginia today. For example, I understand that the Virginia Baptist Convention often stands at odds with the national Southern Baptist Convention over this issue of religious freedom. In this way, the Virginia Convention is a lot like the Baptist General Convention of Texas. Recently our church chose to affiliate almost exclusively with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, which aligns faithfully with the national SBC.

A lot of Southern Baptists are concerned over the requirement of signing the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. I've gone back and forth over this in my own mind. To me, it's definitely a big deal. But I'm not too worried about it. Do I agree with everything in the BFM 2000? No, but I've never been asked to sign it either. Still, when you think about, signing the statement means you are buying into it as a whole. And this isn't necessarily a bad thing. When you sign something, you are really committing yourself. It's just that I'd much rather sign a Bible, than any man-made document.

On the other hand, think about the founding fathers of our country. When they signed the declaration of independence, they were really signing their own death warrants. It was treasonous to sign that document. And we're all grateful that they had the courage and the nerve to do so, aren't we? So you see, signing a statement of our faith is not necessarily a bad thing. But for those who hold religious liberty to be one of the highest ideals, I can see how caution is warranted.

However, no matter what we are asked to sign, we can all enjoy freedom in Christ; and we can all pray to the same Spirit to illumine his Word for us. Thanks to saints like Martin Luther, we are able to read God's Word in our own language. We have to maintain Christian orthodoxy at all costs, to be sure. But as to disputable matters in Scripture, we can only pray and trust that God will teach us the correct interpretation.

A Square Peg in a Round Hole

I talked to a good friend today. He's in his 70s. He has left his church, a conservative one near Austin, Texas. The reason? He doesn't like the music. Recently his pastor preached several messages on worship. Soon after, progressively more contemporary Christian music began to emerge in the worship services. Is this a bad thing? I don't think so. He just feels like a square peg in a round hole.

I feel sad for these older folks who wonder what happened to the church music they grew up with. In many cases, they are the backbone of their congregations. As a result of his church's new worship service format, my friend might become a member of a small home church where his style of music is performed. I think this is fine if he's prayed about it, and feels led to do so. I only hope he can actually find one of these churches.

Here's the paradox: Many of the conservative evangelical churches are committed to the "contemporary" style of music in worship, while several mainline denominations, known for being more theologically liberal, are holding on to traditional music forms, including hymns, complete with organ preludes and postludes.

I love these senior adults who don't understand the new music. It doesn't bother me that they prefer styles they grew up with. The great thing is that I think most of them understand that we are trying to use some newer music to reach a broader audience these days, an audience that includes all ages. But sometimes I wish they could truly have a service of their own. And who knows? It might just grow with other people that appreciate their preferred styles of music.

One thing about these seniors is that they actually take the time to engage you in conversation. This is probably because they're not in a hurry. I get in a hurry quite often, and I hate the pace. But there are definitely wonderful moments when I feel like part of a community; and in this community, I'm giving by sharing my compassion and knowledge. Simultaneously, I'm receiving the benefits and blessings of living in that community. (I wonder if one of the reasons we don't have deep and meaningful conversation with others is that we watch too much television? It's a lot easier to not have to talk to people sometimes, isn't it?)

I am just so jaded by all those "experts" who think they know the formula to creating exciting worship experiences in our church services. Don't get me wrong. I long for excitement in worship! But I don't want it to come because I've "worked up the crowd" with some rousing song. I want it to come because people are "growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ" (II Peter 3:18). This kind of spiritual growth takes work, and doesn't happen overnight. This kind of growth can sustain us in the difficult times, and it occurs regardless of what happens in the Sunday worship services.

So what do you think?

My Son's First Deer

What a great day we had Saturday. We went down to Hondo where my son Justin had the opportunity to hunt on a friend's ranch. Justin, myself, and our friend Lex, were in the blind. We waited very patiently. And about 5:45 p.m. this nine-point buck came into view. Justin had only one shot at this one. All three of our hearts were pounding as he pulled the trigger. Justin needed to hit him in just the right spot, or it possibly would have run off onto the neighbor's property. Fortunately, the deer fell right where he was hit.

Rescued Trailer

This is me in a video produced at our church. It's a promo for a student Bible study series called "Rescued." The video appeared on my former blog, but it's not active anymore. So here it is again.

A Wintry Moment

My son took this video today. We had snow and ice! Thought it might make a nice ending to some movie. But what should the plot be?

Church Staff, Branded, and Robert O'Brien

Today, our church voted to have Waide Messer come as our Minister of Education/Administration. He and his wife Pam are coming from Tennessee. This is something I'm very happy about. I feel like we're fully staffed again. What a blessing! Today the Christian country music duo Branded led music in our worship services. I was glad to have the break and enjoyed the program. Each of my family members enjoyed certain songs more than others, so we ended up having to buy 3 CDs so we could hear all of them!

Tonight I called Robert O'Brien several times. Robert is our network administrator. It turns out I was installing a wireless router so that my daughter's computer could be hooked up to the internet . Everytime I ran into a little difficulty, I called Robert. This guy has the heart of a genuine servant. Besides keeping our computers up to speed, he works with Carpenter's Helpers, the premier helping ministry organization of our church. Robert is very knowledgable when it comes to computers and web design. Yet he is also very patient when dealing with people like me. My confidence level is pretty low when it comes to installing new software and hardware. So I thank God for Robert.

As a matter of fact, I didn't feel comfortable even buying my daughter's laptop computer until I had consulted with this guy! Actually Leslie bought the computer; she was in San Antonio when she called to tell me about it. I said, "now wait just a minute. You know you can't buy this until I talk to Robert." Anyway, as it turns out, I can't do a lot of computer/technological things unless I've talked to Robert about it! What an example this man is. I wish we could all be so helpful with the various gifts and talents the Lord has blessed us with!

Going Public, Dietrich Bonnhoeffer, and my Toes

I reminded the choir tonight that this is a public blog. So I hope some of ya'll are taking the time to check this blog out. Anyway, I failed to mention tonight that Dietrich Bonnhoeffer was hanged for his involvement in the plot to assassinate Hitler. He gave his life for the cause he so firmly believed in. The interesting thing is that many churches in Germany at the time blindly supported the Nazi regime. It was Bonnhoeffer and other members of the Confessing church that suffered for their stand against the dictator.

So some of you inquiring minds want to know what my webbed toes look like. They're not really webbed, as in a frog's toes. And it's really just two toes on each of my feet that are joined. Two digits joined by skin. So enjoy. I give you my toes. Now go get some dinner.

More Thoughts on Church Music

I find myself in a strange place. I like both hymns and contemporary Christian music. Is that even possible? You bet it is. But let me clarify. I tend to like the more "high church" hymns, such as Holy, Holy, Holy, and Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise; A Mighty Fortress, Praise to the Lord, the Almighty; All Creatures of our God and King; Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven, I Sing the Mighty Power of God; and Be Thou My Vision.

Don't get me wrong. I have great reverence for the more popular hymns that we Baptists sing, such as At Calvary, and To God Be The Glory; and how could we do without How Great Thou Art, and the hymn that unites all denominations, Amazing Grace. It's just that these hymns don't move me as much as those I've mentioned above. Why? Because of overuse, I suppose. And yet, I continue to choose them in our worship services because I know they move the people of God at FBC Wimberley. These hymns encourage their collective spirit.

As far as contemporary Christian music is concerned, I'm so glad that in the midst of the thousands of new songs, there are those which are singable by most congregations. I have to really be choosy here. When rhythms are so syncopated as to be difficult to sing, I might use it as a solo, or ensemble piece, but not for the congregation. Anyway, my pastor told me last week that it might be a good idea to let the people in our contemporary service get to know the songs a little better before introducing new music; He suggested letting them sing the songs that really move them. Great advice! I plan to bring those songs back into the regular song repertoire for awhile. As a musician, I guess I get bored of a song before most people. But I'll try to put the needs of others before my own here.

If anybody wants to talk about "worship wars" with me, you might as well not go there. I don't even acknowledge that these wars exist! They are musical preferences, pure and simple. It's my desire that the music serve the text, whatever style we're talking about. But let's all give a little consideration to the wide range of musical styles that people appreciate. Thank God for His creativity that continues to inspire Christian artists to write new hymns and songs; and thank God for the hymns that have stood the test of time due to their theological depth and immortal melodies. Enough said.

Kathy Reno and Dorothy Martin

Kathy Reno and Dorothy Martin are a couple of my favorite people. Why? Because they are hard-working volunteers in the music ministry of our church, where I serve as minister of music and senior adults. These ladies tirelessly take care of the music library, and distribution of music. More than that, they volunteer in many other areas of our church. It's people like Kathy and Dorothy that keep churches moving in the right direction. They are unsung, but remain so faithful in their service. So a big thanks to these two precious people.

Picture of Leslie Pita and Glenn

Thoughts About Church Music

One of the church members commented on one of our Christmas carols a couple of weeks ago. He said "I'm glad you got your voice back, since none of us knew one of those songs. What was it again?" "Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming," I said. "Yeah, that's the one. Actually, I think I heard that many years ago."

The comment was typical. I'm saddened by the lack of music appreciation in my church, and in Baptist churches in general. Here I am, a Baptist minister of music, who likes a great variety of music, and thinks our congregation should also like a variety! But I find that some are just so happy to sing only the music they know, without the desire of learning new music.
I have a lot more to say about this, but I have to go for now. Good night, everyone.