November 2005 - Posts
We are into our final rehearsals for Christmas. We are combining our choir with Christ's Church's choir for the musical again this year. Normally I am rehearsing the orchestra on Wednesdays but the orchestra is now in with the choirs so I am free to take care of things behind the scenes and have fun playing timpani. Last year I wore an afro to the dress rehearsal. If you have never seen a timpani player play with an afro I highly recommend it. After all, Christmas is a time for joy. Everyone in the choir was having joy at that moment. I really did it for Lynn's sake (our choir director). Finally she saw what everybody was laughing about and gave me “that look“. She's a great sport though. One year our school band director who plays french horn handed out puppets to the orchestra members for an unauthorized rendition of a song that had that “Muppet Show” feel to it. “It's time to start the music...” Again this was mostly for the benefit of our “A-type“choir director who has done this for 26 years. One year I wore black and white tennis shoes with my tux (hey, they were new).
I think we have more fun in the orchestra than they do in the choir. Probably because we are smaller than the choir and mostly because we have a lot of characters in the group. You can plug in the musician excuse here if you wish. Todd (band director man) deals with Jr. High and Sr. High band members all day. That has to mess you up a little. He has things like... rubber chickens lying around the band room. The students love him.
When some of our members joined, they hadn't played since high school and decided to get the instrument out of the closet and give it a go. Many get back into their chops a lot sooner than they expect. We have an oboe and bassoon (hard to come by in volunteer orchestra). We have young and old. Some are not to far out of Suzuki classes. Others are very seasoned players. It is great to see them rub off on each other, play together, and laugh together like a family. Year by year our sight-reading improves, our skill usually increases but moreover, our appreciation for each other grows. It's just great to spend Christmas together again.
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I bought a notebook computer last week. I've been considering for a long time whether or not I needed one for my writing. After deciding that I did and after looking through the ads, I found one that matched what I was looking for. It was the last one “on the shelf” at the day-after-Thanksgiving super-sale. I didn't even have to wrestle someone for it. The young lady who checked me out was so pleasant (I found out that she knows Jesus). My daughter told me before we went into the store that she loves to be especially nice to salespeople during the Christmas rush. I like that too...you know, making someone's day who has been dealing with demanding people all day. It's nice to see them sigh and smile.
I have been loading it with my stock of software this week...office stuff, CubaseSX, Masterwriter, recording interface drivers, etc. Today, Bryson (our master IT guru) made it so I can access my office desktop from anywhere in the world via the Internet. I'm thinking that will come in handy when I'm in a co-writing session, trying to find that one lyric I misplaced.
It's kind of scary putting so much labor into documents and mp3's that represent the totality of your creative output only to entrust them to a little box that could decide at any moment to never give them back. So I forked over a little more for an external backup drive and of course you have to have a case....
A lady I met last Sunday at my friend, Corey's Ordination reminded me of what my “creative output” is all about. After the service she asked me, “Did you come and sing here about ten years ago?“ (my wife's calculations make it closer to fifteen). She bought a cassette (remember those?) back then of some scripture songs I had written. When I play these now, I cringe because of the cheesy synth parts. At that time, I scrimped to buy a good dual cassette recorder to duplicate them one at a time (I can still hear the chipmunks in my mind from the sound it made as the tapes were being dubbed). She then began to explain that she had literally worn out the tape and needed another. She started to cry and tell me that the songs had ministered to her through some really tough times. Now I was getting teary eyed as she spoke....someone I had never met, yet someone who, in a way knew me well.
Songs have a strange way of taking on a ministry of their own...sort of like children that grow up in your house and make their own way in the world, accomplishing things you may never find out. Every once and a while you get a glimpse of some of their effect. The web as changed the amount of feedback you get from your “children.“ Occasionally, I will get an e-mail requesting one of those ancient songs for use in a bible study or something. On the back side of the tape I recorded just the backup tracks so people could sing them in their church. A missionary told me one time that one of my tapes had been translated by someone in Japan and re-recorded in Japanese, using the tracks. I think about that now whenever my statistics page tells me someone in Japan, or elsewhere in the world is downloading songs from my website. Also, nowadays a CCLI report gives me some idea of how my songs touch the church. Still, there is nothing like someone telling you face to face that what you do matters to them.
The technology has certainly changed, but the goal is the same--Phil, write stuff that matters!...matters to people...matters to God...matters to bring them together. I know I can't always accomplish it, but anymore, I'm to getting where I really want to do stuff that matters.
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A while back a friend and mentee of mine asked me to be part of his ordination service that was last Sunday. He is worship minister at church in Springfield, MO. I am rarely sick, but last night I was feeling terrible so I was afraid I was going to have to miss it. Several people prayed and the Lord answered.
The service was wonderful. Mark (Corey's dad) preached a great message. Corey led worship and another professor named Mark gave the charge. I sang a couple of specials and led a couple of worship songs. I shared two memories of Corey when he was in my praise band. One was in a classroom at the church where I taught him his first few notes on the bass guitar (I think five minutes later he surpassed my ability). He is now a wonderful worship leader, bassist, guitarist, keyboardist and a budding worship writer. The other memory is when he was lying in the hospital ready to go into surgery for a detatched retina. That is when he told me he wanted to be a worship minister. That really moved me. His dad was a little hurt that he wasn't going to be a preacher that day but the Lord knows we need worship ministers with the heart of a shepherd that know how to handle the word. I think mom and dad are super proud. Another laborer for the kingdom!!!!
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Yesterday, Nathanael stopped by the video store and picked up a movie that the kids have wanted me to see. “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” If you don't have ADHD already, this film will give it to you. Luckly I am already random. Just about the time you settle in to the story line, they hit the “Improbability Drive Button” on the spaceship and the craft and the storyline take a new turn. Lots of funny moments, some sacreligion, and a lot of wierdness. Underneath the surface of the randomness the plot leads to a search for the ultimate question (because you have to know what the question is before the ultimate answer does you any good).
Now for the Philisophizing...It give me a strange feeling to consider what it is like for people that are still searching for the meaning of life. Space probes are sent to find our origins. Palentologists and Anthropologists dig. Philosophers reason. Sociologists socialize... There is this kind of “lost in space” feeling I get when I think of how it must be not to have the ultimate question answered. It is a “Hal, open the pod bay doors!” (“2001 a Space Odessey”) moment where you end up floating forever in a vast universe or at least until your air runs out.
Their are a lot of reasons for being lost in space. Ignorance and blindness, not paying attention to the Lord, and sometimes outright rebellion. Thanksgiving is one of those times that takes me back to things I know for sure...the answer to the ultimate question. Not because I'm smart. But because He decided at the beginning to explain it all through the scriptures.
Last december they detected a “starquake” in a magnetic star that in 200 milliseconds released more energy than our Sun would expend in 250,000 years. That makes me feel small. But it doesn't make me feel lost. I just want to stand in awe of a Creator with that kind of “power to burn.” And I am comforted that He says He loves us, has a huge plan for us, and has the infinite ability to accomplish it. He tells us why we were made. You know, the ultimate answer! We are designed and destined to give Him the praise and glory He is worthy of. We are creatures created in His image with the capacity to search out His wonders, be moved by His heart, marvel at His intellect and creativity, and above all appreciate His mercy and grace...Then we get the honor of shouting it to all creation. Instead of floating in meaninglessness, we can be eternally thankful.
Have a wonderful, eternal Thanksgiving
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Jubilee had a solo tonight in the music program. I caught her on mpeg on my new digital camera. I don't have very many movies of our older children. Who could afford those things back then. Somtimes I wish I had invested in one anyway...gone into debt. But then I know I would have been tempted to spend my vacation behind a video camera instead of running up the colorado trails with the kids. Since college I have had a SLR Yashica TLelectro X manual 35mm camera I bought used for 30 dollars when I worked in the AV Department. Hey it took great pictures. It just took a litle longer to get it set. I sort of envied those new Nikon and Pentax automatic jobs for a while. But mine still worked well even though I had to fix it one time when it wouldn't trigger my flash. Last year it “gave up the ghost” after 20 years of service. The shutter froze up. Farwell...so I bought a new digital...not top of the line but decent sort of camera. 5 megapixel Canon.
So I caught her on camera...six years old and already a star...high fiving the other soloists as they finished their parts and rejoined the choir. The other day she told mom after playing at the playgound...“Everybody keeps calling my name Jubilee, Jubilee. Everybody knows me. I don't know why. I'm not popular, I'm just a kid!” She was so shy before and now she is coming out of her shell big time. I remember when my mom used to put a stick of gum on the piano so I would play for company (I really did it for the praise). I don't know of anyone who possessed a greater skill or gift of encouragement than my mom. Everyone says Jubilee reminds them of her. Maybe the high fives tonight are a sign of something to come. I hope so, I love encouragers.
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Last night Jodie and I were in on two special prayer times. One was planned by us, the other one only the Lord's had in mind. One was for a family who are incredible laborers for the Lord that have seen their world turned upside down this last year. There is nothing like seeing the body of Christ minister to it's own and hearing the prayers being offered up on their behalf by godly leaders. After that we went to Starbucks with Bob and Teri (one of our elders and his wife). They were catching us up on their recent medical missions trip trip to India when one very special young lady walked in. She has the spirit of Jesus shining from her all the time. Except last night, she was distraught over something happening in her family. I get so mad at the enemy for what he does! But there at Starbucks we had a little prayer meeting and her burden became ours and more importantly became the Lord's.
You'd think after 20 years of ministry I would have this whole prayer thing under my belt. But I always find myself sounding like one of the disciples at the last supper after three years of miracle watching saying strange things like “Now we know you know everything... and now we believe that you came from God“ I find myself babling “You really do answer prayer, don't You?“
I wrote a song from prayer gathering a couple of weeks ago. I didn't intend to but I found myself scribbling down on the back of a chord chart what I was hearing. The whole theme was on God's leading. I didn't plan it that way...that is just how the Lord was leading the prayers of the people. There is a young couple that our church is grooming to go to a very difficult mission field in the near future. Recently they have had some health issues come up as well as other obstacles to their goals. In her sweet prayer this young wife poured out her struggle and then just sighed and said "Jesus, I give it all to you" It was the perfect expression of dependance on God. So I wrote this.
"I Give It All" ©2005, Phil Mehrens
Silent words in a room full of prayers
Thoughts I try to whisper
Desperate sighs to a Father who hears
The things I cannot utter
How the days so quickly bring a load of care
When the weight is more than what my heart can bear
(Chorus)
I give is all to you
I give it all to You
Jesus, You're the only One
That I can turn to
I give it all to you
Jesus, I give it all
Every dream, every longing is Yours
Times I've felt betrayal
Lord, I give You all of my hopes,
And fears that I might fail
Make me trust the plans you said you have for me
When the answer's far beyond what I can see
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At this rate I will have three blogs a year.
I attended Write About Jesus http://www.writeaboutjesus.com/ again this year. Great workshops, heard some great songs. Had some great conversations catching up with writer friends. In the advanced group (those who have won the competition before or are co-writing in Nashville) we had a writing assignment for the “End of the Spear” movie that will be released in Jan. I just finished a song this week and sent it in. We also had a class were we pitched a song to one of 5 different artists. The producer of two of the artists was there to evaluate the material. That was intense, but cool. It is so neat to hear what everyone else is writing. I led worship for the workshop on Friday morning with Kate White (from the east coast) on violin and Piper White (from my home church) singing backup. I always come away charged up to write better songs.
Thurday night prayer gathering was so powerful again this week. The theme is never the same, the Lord leads out prayer in a different direction every week.
I listened to my son play at the coffee house last night. That is always sweet.
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