The Uncanny Resemblance Between the GOP Debate and the 2015 VMA’s…

Yes, you read that right.  I’m connecting the dots (with great concern) that the GOP candidates resemble the same cultural disappointment and inevitable future that I saw, while watching last night’s VMA awards.

If you watched the VMA’s, i’m sorry that you lost those 2-3 hours of your life.  You’ll never get them back.  If you watched the FOX NEWS, GOP Debate on August 6th, again I apologize that you wasted those 2-3 hours of your life.  They are gone.

So where’s the resemblance?

Last night on the VMA’s and a few weeks ago at the GOP debate, we saw political-products project a future that is healthy for no one.  Both “events” were pure spectacle; individuals pandering to selfishness, power, and extremism, with no regard to what future implications may be.

On one hand, Donald Trump embodies a "self-made-man" that’s popular for speaking his mind - regardless of truth, sexism, equality, and public health and/or policy.  On the other hand, Miley Cyrus embodies a "self-made-woman" that’s popular for speaking her mind - regardless of truth, exploitation, and or health.

**I use “quotes” because they are made by inherited fame, wealth, obnoxiousness, gaming the system, and media machines.

They do what they do, because they want to.  They are bought by no one (at least that’s what they spew).  And despite their grotesque representation of culture and outlook for the future, they are gaining in popularity and influence.

Miley is a court jester and the crowd goes crazy.  Donald is a carbon copy, only his crowd is older and whiter.

INFLUENCE - really?

Yes, both have incredible influence. 

Miley’s circus and over-the-top antics poured into nearly every acceptance speech, performance, and video at the VMA’s.  The crowd ate it up hook, line, and sinker.  Donald’s candor and language, and basic disregard for human life (i.e. women, immigrants, foreigners, etc) have pushed the other candidates further to the extreme. 

Case in point: we’re now treating immigrants like Fed-Ex packages.

Miley is a product of her label.
Donald is a product of his brand.
(And both have laughable hair.)

Art and politics have always danced together; and at times, have created better cultures.  They push the limits beyond status-quo.  They create conversations that work to build better societies.  I cannot say that for the GOP field or the VMA’s. 

We will be worse-off if we are lead by these jokers with microphones.  We can of course throw our money and support to them.  But don’t complain when you inherit the future you’re applauding - nothing short of an exploitation-circus.  

The Heart > Human Tradition

If you're someone that comes from a tradition that follows the lectionary calendar, you'll notice that the following text (from Mark 7) is the Gospel text for August 30, 2015.  However, regardless of your church method (mainline, non-denominational, charismatic, house-church, etc.), tradition is a factor.  Sometimes positive and welcome.  And sometimes anti-movement, anti-vision, anti-Christ.

Traditions, rules, constitutions, by-laws, the past - can all cripple a people (and person) of authentic living.

Mark 7 reads something like this:
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So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live^[d] according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” ⁶ He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their hearts are far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me,
    teaching human precepts as doctrines.’

⁸ You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.”

What do we do with passages like these?

As we gather in a body called church, called community, called family...

we gather on the backs of the faithful ancestors of our faith – hundreds of years of tradition that has culminated into this moment, this living, breathing, worship experience (no matter the day of the week).

But if we take pause and honestly look at our worship, how much of it praises brick and mortar, method and style, personal preference and programming, man made rules and constitutions and Roberts rules of order?

How much of our worship is actually idolatry?

Our prayer today is that our hearts be transformed, that our minds be transformed, that this holy place be transformed into the church – the bride of Christ – the people of God, with hearts aligned to Spirit and hands aligned to Jesus.

 Amen.

 After all, we are a people with transformation at our core...why not live it?

Peace,
Ross 

 

The Idolatry of Certainty

Greg Boyd speaks about the idolatry of certainty here. 
He says, "They call faith "faith" for a reason."
Greg Boyd speaks on faith and embracing doubt!

Peace,
PMP

Fair Trade...BIBLES?

Over the weekend, a friend let me know about a great deal on bibles.
She told me that The Dollar Store was selling leather-bound bibles!

Leather-bound.
Bibles.
One Dollar.

Something doesn't add up.

Q: How can a bible (which is hundreds, if not thousands of printed pages), be bound in leather, shipped across the globe, neatly positioned on the shelf, marketed to the public, and sold by a cashier, for one dollar?

A: It can't.

Somewhere a farmer is not being paid fairly for the hide of his cattle.  Somewhere else, a printing press is running pages of scripture, and the workers aren't being paid fairly.  In another location someone loads shipping containers for little-to-no money.  And once the "product" arrives at the local Dollar Store, a worker unloads a shipment of bibles to the rack, for an unsustainable wage.

And for what?
What is being evangelized here?

In this case, has commerce prostituted the Word of God?
How can this be reconcilled?
How can the very book that promotes shalom, justice, equality, and grace, be sold at the expense of so many?

What's worse (possibly) is that I've tried to google "fair trade bibles" for over 20 minutes, and cannot find a single purchasing option!

Remember that the way(s) we purchase speaks volumes about the God we serve.

Peace,
Ross 

Constants

There are certain constants in life.  One of those constants is time.  We are all bound to a 24 hour day and a 7 day week.  No matter your vocation, passion, and effort, you have limits.  Steve Jobs was bound to these limits.  President Obama is bound to these limits.  Every single person, regardless of how productive or unproductive they may be, is bound to these constants.

So as you dream big and work towards creating more beauty, shalom, and justice in the world, consider the following:

What can you (and only you) do?
What were you created to do?
What are your passions?

Do that!

But what about all of the other random tasks that are required to pull off said passion, job, project, and dream(s)?

That's where being a leader comes into play.

Good leaders surround themselves with other individuals that resonate with your dreams and momentum.  Good leaders never hoard vision and work.  Good leaders delegate, empower, and turn loose the passions and dreams of other people.

So the next time you find yourself against a time-crunch, ask yourself what can you (and only you) do.  Ask yourself what you were created to do.  And finally ask yourself if you have appropriately surrounded yourself with individuals that you trust to carry the torch of your passion.

The world may be full of constants, but you don't have to be bound by them.  

Peace,
Ross 

What are you reading?

It's said that all great leaders read...a lot.
Great leaders are constantly learning.
Great leaders are great learners.
Great leaders never assume they "know" everything.
Great leaders don't read to support their already held beliefs either.
Great leaders read to push belief, position, comfort, and ideas.

Because what you read tells a lot about how you lead...

Do you resonate with this list?
If so, what are you reading?

Peace,
Ross

A Recent Interview

I was recently interviewed by WorshipLinks, and here it is:

Ross Christopher is a worship leader, touring artist, and music producer. Recently, Ross talked to Worship Links about going on tour with Jars Of Clay, record production, and why correct hymn titles are important.
WL: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer some questions for us. It’s truly appreciated! The first question is an easy one. Tell us a little bit about yourself in five sentences.

RC: I’m an artist from the Midwest (St. Louis, MO). I have an amazing wife (Kate) and two incredible girls (Cora and Olive). I write and produce music, compose and record string arrangements for artists/bands, tour, and lead worship. I love to travel and experience new things. I’m always eager for a great surprise!

How did you get started in worship ministry?

When I was in college, I was touring with a band throughout the Midwest. I was also playing violin at Damascus Road (a campus ministry). One thing led to another, and by the end of my first semester of my freshman year, a local church asked me to come on board to lead their contemporary service. I bought an acoustic guitar, a capo, and taught myself how to play enough chords to lead by the time I went back to school in January. Its hard to believe that was nearly 15 years ago!

What’s your basic process for planning a service or worship set?

I like to start a creative plan about 6-8 weeks in advance, so nothing is last minute. Once the pastor and I have a basic series/theme, I hold a creative brainstorm meeting dinner. I typically get 10-20 people to come out. At the brainstorm we each begin by naming 3 un-churched or dis-churched friends or family members. We discuss the questions and conversations we’ve had with them surrounding the upcoming series/theme, and use that as our springboard for everything we create. We’re not really interested in just playing our favorite new songs, or discussing what we already know, but rather, tackling the questions, doubts, and frustrations surrounding any given topic. We try to create an atmosphere that speaks to the theme, and then unpack the following questions/elements through each service: historical, theological, scriptural, contextual, and experiential. Each of these are wide open to various art mediums and activities.

While we were setting up the interview, you mentioned that you recently toured with Jars of Clay and Sleeping at Last. Can you share a great road story with us?

I had the absolute time of my life! All of the Jars guys are so genuine and fun to be with. And Ryan (Sleeping at Last) might actually be the nicest human ever. Each and every night, it was a thrill to be part of creating amazing art.
A couple nights, late after the shows, we headed out for 24 hour food. Healthy 24 hour eateries are basically nonexistent, so we decided to indulge in what must have been a week’s worth of calories, when the entire band ordered deep fried mozzarella stuffed grilled cheese sandwiches. There’s nothing like engorging in 5,000 calories of fried-cheesy-goodness and laughing into the wee hours of the night with friends (several nights in a row).

Desert Island Worship Mix: You’re trapped on a desert island, and for reasons too ridiculous to explain, you can only have one CD with five worship songs on it. What are they?

• This Is Not the End (Gungor)
• In The Embers (Sleeping at Last)
• You Are Mine (MuteMath)
• Where The Streets Have No Name (U2)
• Psalm 145 (Shane & Shane)

If you could give one piece of advice to up and coming worship leaders, what would it be? Conversely, what’s some advice you wish you’d received earlier on?

Don’t do it alone!
Build teams and friendships – even deep relationships with people outside of your local church. Listen and grow. Don’t feel like you need to do this by yourself. Network, network, network. And finally write! The power of your local voice speaking to your local context is invaluable. It’s fine to sing the popular songs, but there’s something visceral about singing the real, tangible, and local struggles, joys, etc.

What do you think worship in the church will look like in ten years?

I believe that with economies shifting, postmodern leaders emerging, and post-christian America being a reality, our churches will move to the fringe. They will be smaller, but stronger. The nominal church-goer will no longer feel the need to check off that Sunday morning box, and the people that do decide to participate in “church” will actually live and breath a priesthood of all believers. I think a worship service will look more like “service.” I think being the hands and feet will be real. The fluff that flies today will die, and what has been institutionalized over the past decades will no longer resonate with postmodern worshipers.

Give us the ten thousand foot view of producing an album. For those that haven’t been through the recording and/or production process, what should we expect?

It’s an incredible view – of possibility. I’m wrapping up an album that I’m producing of a great Nashville artist. He came to my studio back in September and we knocked out structures, vocals, and acoustic guitar. Then he left. He gave me complete freedom to produce everything else. There’s obviously a great amount of trust in this. But over the past months I recorded the rest of the sounds that would accompany these songs and help them take flight. The freedom can be intoxicating. But the real task is taking risks and peeling back layers until you’ve got a perfect piece of art. Trusting your ears and your heart can be difficult and has taken me almost 15 years to get to where I am, but every single album I produce, I honestly say that it’s the best piece of art I’ve ever worked on. So there’s a deep sense of pushing oneself forward, refinement, and continued excellence.

Any new worship artists on your radar at the moment?

I had the chance to write and record strings for John Tibbs this past year. He’s a great guy and his stuff breaks the typical pop-worship mold. Personally, I tend to worship more from non-traditional worship artists. So I’ll frequently leave a concert or an art experience drained from a night of worship (whether or not that was their intention).
Sleeping at Last captures beauty like no one else. The Lone Bellow creates a communal experience better than any artist I’ve seen. Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) writes the most prolific symphonic pieces out there.

What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done while leading worship (that you’re willing to share)?

Back in college, I was asked to lead worship at an uber-traditional church one Sunday. I asked one of my buddies to come play keys for me. At one point I asked everyone to “turn in your hymnals to page 365 as we sing ‘It Is Well With My Hole’”…I was mortified. My keyboardist lost it. I fought the 18 year old laughter within. And still to this day I can’t sing ‘It Is Well’ without a little chuckle.

Thanks again for answering our questions. If people want to find you online, what’s the best way?

Website: www.rosschristopher.com
Twitter: @rosschristopher
Facebook: www.facebook.com/rosschristophermusic
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ross-christopher/id292934720
Blogs: www.continuedconversation.blogspot.com
www.postmodernpriesthood.blogspot.com