Next weekend Aaron Niequist is coming to lead worship at The Orchard. He is one of the Worship Leaders at Willow Creeks, and you might know of him from a song called Changed. I looked at his bio, and then read his blog for a few hours trying to get an idea of what to expect. I found out some interesting things, most notably that he was the Worship Leader at Mars Hill under Rob Bell.
Around the beginning of this year, Mike suggested a book called Velvet Elvis, and I really dug into a lot of what Rob Bell had to say. He also produced a series of videos called NOOMA. Later I found his podcasts. I still occasionally listen to the Mars Hill sermons, but I've expanded outward to all the old Tim Keel Jacobs Well podcasts, Tim Keller, anything I can find from N.T. Wright, the Veritas Forum, Michale Hyatt, Carson Weber, Worship Central, and I just started downloading the Willow Creek study classes. Sometimes I listen to an audio bible instead of podcasts when I go out for a walk or run. This started back in February with the discovery of the Mars Hill podcasts.
Did I mention that I also read a lot? Keeping a journal on what I'm studying has been the best way to organize my thoughts. I have a pretty good handle on the New Testament, no where near what I'd like to have, but in terms of context and wisdom, I've found a great love for God's word.
Yesterday I found the music posted on Planning Center for the weekend. Our giving back song is a hymnal version of Take My Life; a live version that Aaron preforms in a style I find unfamiliar. Over and over I start the track back to the beginning, trying to lock onto the accent shift going out of the verse into the chorus, and then into the refrain. Finally I let the track finish to hear Aaron closing with a prayer, "may you, my brothers and sisters of the Mars Hill community.."
Wow, talk about the good kind of chills. I confess that at one time I thought playing praise music at Mars Hill would be the coolest thing in the world.
I've felt pretty somber since Mike left to take on a new role out in California. Mike is a spiritual leader, a nurturing type that brings out the best in you, and he was the rock of the arts team. I'm pretty confident that God has a plan for his church, and I'll support whatever direction we take. Still I was left very fearful of the future; for one I find a big difference in playing praise music for ones merit, which is very different from using spirituality to create the worship environment. Over the last 16 months I've really developed an awareness of God's presence in our worship, and it has pushed me to try and understand why there are times when it feels so strong and so powerful. This will be my first weekend playing without Mike, and I was still a bit uneasy that it might not ever feel the same. So when I listened to Aaron's recording of Take My Life, it really felt like God was reaching out to show me how far I've come, and to say, "hey buddy it's going to be ok."
Btw, we are playing Changed.
