Online Recording/Mixing Tips continued

                Last week I discussed the difficulty of sifting through all the information available online for mixing and recording help.  I mentioned the principle of finding a person who is a trustworthy and reliable source of information.  There are many people out there who just want to sell you something or get more views, but there are also genuine souls who want to help people improve their skills.  I mentioned two examples of good information sources last week (Joe Gilder and Graham Cochrane).  Today I wanted to give you a few more.

                Bobby Owsinski is an amazing resource for knowledge in many areas of music business (recording/mixing, social media, websites, marketing, etc.).  I was first introduced to Bobby’s lessons through my Lynda.com membership.  There are many great teachers on Lynda.com who offer a variety of very informative classes.  Bobby’s stuff is wonderful for independent artists.  He is really good at covering every base, and really explaining things that would be difficult to understand otherwise.  Plus, he has so much knowledge and experience.  Tapping into his experience automatically give you a boost. 

                Dave Pensado is another good source.  His YouTube channel   Pensado’s Place is another great source of information.  I especially enjoy the section called Into The Lair, where he offers a lot of practical mixing tips.

                I mentioned Lynda.com before when discussing Bobby Owsinski.  Another membership site that offers great tutorial and instructional videos is Groove3.com.  The predominant content on this site is software tutorial based.  There are specific tutorial lesson on how to use specific DAW and plug-in software (example: Pro Tools, Studio One, Cubase, Logic, Waves products, Melodyne, Toontracks products, etc.).  There are also instructional videos on musical performance and recording/mixing technique, but they are far outnumbered by the amount of software based tutorials.

                Discussing software based tutorials reminds me of another point.  Some people may turn out to be a better source of information for you because of the DAW and other software that they use.  One of the things I like about Joe Gilder is that he uses Studio One (like me).  Most of his tips can be applied in any DAW, but his specific demonstrations (videos, detailed examples) directly translate to my home setup. 

There are many other great sources out there that I have not mentioned.  Some are sources for information on thing that I don’t happen to use (like Pro Tools or Ableton Live).  Others were just left out because I don’t have enough time or space on this blog to include them all.  The important thing is to be discerning as you explore the internet.  Find those sources that seem to be accurate and are offering what you need.  Also, look for the people who genuinely seem to care about helping you to learn and grow.  

Online Recording/Mixing Tips

                There are almost unlimited amounts of videos and articles online for tips with recording, mixing and mastering.  I sometimes find myself getting lost in watching videos and reading.  One thing we all need to remember is that the best way to increase our skills is to practice.  We need to actually spend time recording and mixing.  Nothing can replace hands-on experience and repetition.

                With that said, we can also learn from the knowledge and experience of others.  We just need to keep things in balance.  To help maintain the proper balance of time, we need to look for tutorials that directly apply to our needs (instead of wasting time reading and watching everything).  This is easier said than done.  Many video and article titles are misleading.  You think that they are going to discuss what you are looking for, but they end up being a waste of time. 

                I have found that the best solution is to find a person who is trustworthy as a good source of information and use his/her material as your go-to source for information.  I cannot assume to know which sources will be right for you, but I can make suggestions based on my own experience. 

                One such source that I feel comfortable recommending is Joe Gilder.  He is a former Sweetwater sales representative who decided that he wanted to help people get better at using the gear they already own instead of convincing them to purchase more stuff.  His site Home Studio Corner is full of helpful posts, podcasts and videos.  The great thing about his resources is that they are geared toward home studio people (like us).  Plus, he is a honest person who genuinely  wants to help.  He also sells instructional material for those of you who want to go deeper in your education. 

                One of Joe's paid educational resources is a monthly membership called Dueling Mixes.  I bring this up because it is a joint effort with a man named Graham Cochrane, who is another great resource.  Graham has his own site called The Recording Revolution which is also full of great information. 

                I hope these resources are helpful for you.  In the future, I will share more resources for recording and mixing tips, but I felt that these two guys were the best place for home studio learners to start.  They will inspire you to spend more time in your studio instead of just spending more money on gear you don't even need.

Pride

          This post is actually a chapter from a book that I wrote a while back entitled Finding My Voice. The book is a work in progress that still has not been published, but I felt led to share this chapter with you today. The topic of pride is difficult for me to write about because it is something I struggle with every day. Therefore, please understand that I do not profess to be an authority on the subject (which in itself would be prideful to say). I have not eliminated this issue from my life, but I have identified it. That is the first step. I have also committed to surrender this area of my life to the Lord, and do what is necessary on my part to achieve daily improvement. There are days when I experience setbacks, but God has an ample amount of grace and forgiveness available for those moments.

          I think that pride is a huge issue for musicians in particular, since our gift tends to put us on stage or some form of public display. Musical performance is a public display of intimacy. All eyes are on us as we bear ourselves in a way that is emotional, passionate and vulnerable. Therefore, any musician who engages in public performance experiences an incredible desire to be accepted.

          When a musician is accepted, this puffs up his spirit. He thinks more highly of himself. This causes him to view (and ultimately treat) others as lower than he. If he is not accepted, a musician becomes bitter and resentful. If the public showers more acceptance on another musician, he will become jealous and even envious of that person.

          The acceptance that a musician receives from fans is addictive. It is what makes public musical performance so enjoyable. Once it is experienced you want more. If you are not careful, it can easily become your primary focus. Your motive for performing is no longer to glorify God or edify people. Now it is to be affirmed by people. This change in motive has an effect on your actions.

           I experienced this as people complimented my tone on the saxophone. As mentioned earlier, I forsook balanced practice and focused primarily on tone. I also adopted unnatural habits to facilitate control of my tone. These musical decisions lead to years of poor training, lack of growth and eventual vocal damage.

          I have also experienced many issues with pride as a Christian worship leader and musician. There have been countless fights over monitor levels, who is singing which harmony, who was late for sound-check, who gets to stand where and who gets featured parts. I thought that stepping down from worship leading and pursuing a Christian contemporary ministry would help to alleviate this. However, I found that the same strife and contention existed in the Christian coffee house and concert world.

          Even worse, I found that it existed in me. As long as that was true, it didn't matter where I moved, because it moved with me. I remember one coffee house in particular where God revealed my pride and brought me back to my senses. I had been waiting to get booked by a particular coffee house for a long time. While waiting for the call-back, I received a call from another less popular place which had suffered a last minute cancelation. I committed to sing there since my schedule was open. Just after that, I received the call-back from the more prominent coffee house. It was difficult, but I turned them down and explained that I had just committed to another event.

            I arrived at the less popular coffee house and began to set up. At that time there were only two people present beside me. They were the owner and his assistant. The situation stood this way till five minutes before the start time. Then one other person arrived as a member of the audience. The owner looked at me and said, "Ok, Ray, are you ready to start?" The worst part was, he wasn't joking. I had so many thoughts running through my head. Why did I agree to sing here? Why is the owner making me sing to one person? I could be at that other place right now. I tried my best to quiet down those thoughts and concentrate on singing.

          I went through a full set, and felt like an idiot during most of it. I had played for small crowds before, but it is truly awkward to play for one person. Then, towards the end of the set, something happened. I shared a testimony about an original song called "My Father." As I sang the song, I noticed the man in the audience began to cry. That wasn't supposed to be the last song in the set, but it turned out that way. The man came up to me at the end of the song and began to share his story. His father had just passed away. Shortly after, his wife left him and took their house. He too was a musician with a home recording studio. Most of his equipment was in storage, and he was living in a small apartment. He was at a point in his life where he felt like God had abandoned him. He explained, though, that he experienced an overwhelming sense of God's love while I was singing my song. This is what caused him to cry. I prayed with him, and the night ended shortly after.

          On the ride home God barraged me with thoughts about what had happened. Thoughts like, "Quality is more important than quantity" and the parable of the lost sheep. I realized that God orchestrated it for me to be singing at that coffee house on that night in order to minister to that man. He caused the last minute cancelation and prompted the owner to call me. He put it on my heart to sing "My Father" at that point in the set. He cared enough about that man to do all that, and He chose to do it through me. I didn't receive much praise or affirmation that night, but it didn't matter. I was on cloud nine just for being used by God in such an incredible way.

          The story doesn't end there though. I was singing in a different coffee house about a year later. This night there was a good crowd. I was coming to the end of the set and decided to sing "My Father" to wrap things up. Instead of my usual testimony about writing the song, I felt lead to share the story about the night when I sang to one person. I encouraged people to use the moment to enter into an intimate time of worship and fellowship with God. At the end of the song something amazing happened. A man stood up in the back of the room. He identified himself as the same man from my one-person concert. He testified about how God brought restoration to his life after that concert. Then he introduced the woman next to him as his wife. He explained that God restored their marriage. I was so excited after that concert that I couldn't fall asleep. Now God had orchestrated for that man to be at my concert, just to show me the fruit of my ministry.

          However, pride is not an issue that is exclusive to musicians. It is very easy to get wrapped up in recognition and affirmation, especially in the church. People often give in offerings and participate in ministries just to be noticed. People strive for more prominent positions within ministries. It is an interesting experiment to observe how members of a congregation treat the pastor (or other prominent leaders) compared to regular people in the church. How many people show up if the pastor needs help moving or painting his house? How many people show up if John Smith needs the same help? Our motives are often revealed by our actions (or reactions).

          I believe that pride is the root of all sin. When asked to sum up the law Jesus said:

...You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37b-40 ESV). 

The actions listed in this passage are the opposite of pride. Pride focuses on and lifts up self. If you think about it, this is the issue at the heart of sin. During the commission of any sin a person is (at least temporarily) thinking of himself as being more important than God or other people. Their immediate need for self gratification (be it ever temporary) outweighs the consequences that the action will bear.

          To further support the concept of pride being the root of all sin, we must study the history and origin of sin. Some would say that sin began in the garden of Eden when Eve and Adam ate the forbidden fruit. However, this fruit came from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In order for there to be such a tree, evil had to have already existed. This disobedient action of Adam and Eve introduced sin into the earth, but it does not mark the origin.

          There are two accounts in the Bible of a being who was expelled from heaven due to the sin of pride. One is Ezekiel 28:11-19 which states:

Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God:“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever (ESV).”

Some would say that this passage is speaking about a man who was the king of Tyre due to the reference to the king in verse 12. They see it as a continuation of the prophecy made in verses 1-10. However, the statement made in verses 1-10 is applicable to a human. The being in those verses is even referred to as a man several times. There are, however, several statements made in verses 11-19 which are not applicable to a human. They refer to this being as an anointed guardian cherub (verse 14). There is also a reference to this cherub being located "in Eden, the garden of God" and "on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire..."(verses 13-14). The human king of Tyre was never in those locations. An interesting side note is that verse 1 begins with a command to speak over the "prince of Tyre" (other translations use the word ruler). Verse 11 contains a command to raise a lament over the "king of Tyre." This differentiation further suggests that the passages are discussing two different beings. The first is human king of Tyre and the second is the actual ruler of Tyre, the spiritual being who possessed the king.

          Coming back to the verses we are studying (11-19), Ezekiel mentions, "You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you ... Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor (verses 15 & 17)." So, we see that the sin which corrupted this cherub was pride.

The other passage is found in Isaiah chapter 14. Verses 12-15 state:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God
I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit (ESV).

Again, some people believe this passage to be a literal reference to the human king of Babylon. However, this is a taunt that Israel is supposed to pronounce when it is restored as a nation. There were several kings ruling from the time when Israel was overthrown to the time when they were restored as a nation. Plus, it is impossible for a human to "ascend to heaven; above the stars of God (verse 13)" even with today's space technology. With the technology of Bible times it was also impossible for a human to "ascend above the heights of the clouds (verse 14)."

          The Hebrew word heylel is translated Lucifer, Morning Star, Shining One or Day Star. This word is where we get the name Lucifer, use to refer to Satan before he was cast out of Heaven. Again in this passage, the sin that causes this being to be cast down is pride.

Bible is unclear as to the origin of Satan. It is clear that he was created. When describing Jesus, 1 Colossians 1:15-17 states:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (ESV).

However, the details of his creation (or that of the angels) are not mentioned in the Bible.

          The Bible is also unclear as to the details of Satan's fall into sin. We know that everything that God makes is good. God is referred to as being holy (meaning perfect) several places in the Bible. Plus, in the creation account (in the book of Genesis) God observes His creation after each day and says that it is good. Therefore, if Satan was created by God, he must have originally existed as a being that was good. After accepting this, one could conclude that the point at which Satan became evil was the origin of sin.

          Satan's expulsion from heaven is discussed in Revelation chapter 12. Verses 1-9 state:

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (ESV). 

The description of Satan being "thrown down to the earth" in this passage is very similar to the being who is cast from the mountain of God in Ezekiel 28 and "fallen from heaven" in Isaiah 14. The purpose of this book is not to debate whether these two Old Testament passages are actually describing the fall of Satan. However, if they are (which many scholars believe to be true), then the origin of sin was an act of pride.

          As mentioned earlier in this chapter, pride can change your motives and corrupt your focus. This last section illustrates how pride can have an even more damaging effect. If left untreated, it can eventually redefine your identity, and even destroy you. This is another evidence behind my statement that pride is the root of all sin. Since God is holy, sin is opposed to Him. Pride seems to act as a door that shuts God off from being Lord of our lives and leads us to further sin.

          As a musician, finding my true singing voice (and saxophone tone) redefined my musical identity. As Christians our identity is that we are followers of Christ. We are daily developing a personal and intimate relationship with God. We are allowing Him to point out areas of our life that need improvement and constantly seeking His help and direction to make that improvement. We are not perfect, but our heart desires to be. Even when we mess up, we are willing to admit it, ask for forgiveness and repent. This is the definition of a personal relationship with God. It is the definition of Christianity.

          However, pride does not allow any of this to happen. A prideful person will not see or accept that there are areas of his life that need improvement. This leaves no room for the Holy Spirit to mold and shape that individual into the person that God intends him to be. Therefore, any sin or shortcomings a person may have will be facilitated and preserved by pride.

          There is nothing more unfortunate than a person not becoming what he was intended to be. Thinking back to that passage in Ezekiel 28, one can see an illustration of this. Remember, the writer was asked to raise a lamentation, not a rebuke. The passage remarks at how wonderfully this being was created and the high position in which he was placed. Then it mentions how low he is cast down after pride allowed sin to take root. The passage ends stating, "All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever (verse 19 ESV)." When you read it this way, the passage almost seems like one of Shakespeare's tragedies.

          One of the most quoted scripture on pride is Proverbs 16:18, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (ESV)." Notice that this scripture mentions a fall, and all three passages (Ezekiel 28, Isaiah 14 and Revelation 12) discussed earlier depict Satan (or some being) falling from Heaven. Dictionary.com's first definition of pride is, "a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc." Pride causes people to attempt to lift up or exalt themselves. However, according to the Bible, it results in the opposite effect. Instead of being lifted up, a proud person is brought down. This is confirmed in Matthew 23:12 which states, "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (ESV)."

          The other word that stands out in Proverbs 16:18 is destruction. Pride will not only make you fall, it will ultimately destroy you. Why is this? Let's come back to that idea of a person not becoming what he was intended to be. What happens when you continually use something for a task that is outside its intended purpose? In many cases, it will become damaged or destroyed. For example, if you regularly use an ordinary car as a tow truck it will eventually break down. If you use an electronic device (that is not waterproof) under water it will break. In the same way, if we resist the original design that God intended for us, we will eventually be destroyed. This is accelerated by the fact that God actually resists this type of action. The latter parts of both James 4:6 and 1Peter 5:5 say, "...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (ESV)." In both cases the writers are quoting Proverbs 3:34.

          My vocal misuse led to damage. Thankfully, God led me to a doctor who correctly diagnosed my condition and a vocal therapist who helped me begin to recover. Then, He led me to study music at a deeper level and purchase a tenor saxophone that revolutionized my approach to tone production. I hate to think of what may have happened to my voice if these things did not take place.

          As stated earlier, pride prevents us from being molded and shaped by God. If a person is not being molded and shaped by God, is he a follower of Christ? If a person is not a follower of Christ, is he a Christian?

Does Worship Belong In Church?

            Some people many look at this question and think, “Ray, aren’t you a Christian musician?  Why would you question whether or not worship belongs in church?”  Most church services consist of a time of worship, announcements, taking up a collections (tithes and offerings) and the pastor (or guest speaker) delivering a sermon.  Some churches also receive communion every week while others do this once a month.  Then there are the other elements of church which happen less frequently like baptisms, baby dedications and other things. 

            Each element of a church service serves a purpose in the overall design of church.  The worship portion of the service provides an opportunity for us to unite in body, soul and spirit with a common purpose of glorifying God.  Yes, we worship God musically because He is worthy of our worship, but He doesn’t need our worship.  He will still be God (holy, worthy, etc.) whether or not we choose to worship Him.  Corporate worship is more for our benefit than His.  Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (ESV).”  The act of praising God through song (singing and/or playing an instrument), posture (raising of hands, kneeling, bowing, etc.) and movement (clapping, dancing, etc.) is a powerful and effective device for unifying people in His name?  We all are grateful for God’s grace, and we all agree that He is holy and worthy of our praise.  Times of corporate worship remind us of these common beliefs and bring us into agreement.  This helps to create an atmosphere where God’s presence is more easily manifested and His voice is more easily heard.

            I could go through each of the other components of a church service and explain their significance, but that is not the point of this post.  The main point I am getting at is that things can start out with a good intent and then turn into meaningless acts of repetition and tradition.  The point behind corporate worship is to create an atmosphere of Christian unity where we can draw near to God, experience His presence and hear His voice and encourage each other. 

However, there may be days where a group of believers is just not in unity.  The larger the church, the greater the probability for disunity among the members.  There may be some who are participating in ministry for selfish motives and others who are harboring bitterness in their hearts.  I am not saying this out of a spirit of judgment.  We are all human and we all struggle with a sinful flesh.  Sunday morning comes around and we reach the part of the service when it is time to worship. We are not in a place where we will be able to reach true unity in our worship or truly enter into God’s presence.  Psalm 24:3-5 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.  He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of salvation (ESV).”  We may not be in that place spiritually, but the time for corporate worship has arrived, so we force ourselves to participate in a fake gesture of ritual. 

This type of worship is ineffective in obtaining the main purpose of corporate worship (unity, drawing near to God, experiencing His presence, hearing his voice and encouraging each other).  The more we force ourselves to participate in fake worship, the easier it gets to ignore our spiritual condition and practice fake Christianity.  One of the main purposes of Christian fellowship and corporate worship is to encourage us with our Christian walk.  When one person struggles, his brothers and sisters can encourage him to repent and draw near to God instead of drifting away.  Unfortunately, all humans tend to take good things (like corporate worship) and turn them into meaningless rituals.  We like comfort and repetition.  We don’t like being open and honest with each other.  We don’t like breaking our routines.  We often forget that intent is more important than ritual. 

The Israelites had gone through a long period of ritual and fake religion which led to the Babylonian captivity.  Isaiah 1:2-20 says:

2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!

This is what the Lord says:

“The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.

3 Even an ox knows its owner,

and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—

but Israel doesn’t know its master.

My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt.

They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.

They have despised the Holy One of Israel

and turned their backs on him.

5 Why do you continue to invite punishment?

Must you rebel forever?

Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.

6 You are battered from head to foot—

covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—

without any soothing ointments or bandages.

7 Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned.

Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes

and destroy everything they see.

8 Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned

like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,

like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest,

like a helpless city under siege.

9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us,

we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.

10 Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.”

Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”

11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.

“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fattened cattle.

I get no pleasure from the blood

of bulls and lambs and goats.

12 When you come to worship me,

who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;

the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath

and your special days for fasting—

they are all sinful and false.

I want no more of your pious meetings.

14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.

They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight.

Give up your evil ways.

17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

I will make them as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

I will make them as white as wool.

19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.

20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen,

you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.

I, the Lord, have spoken (ESV)!”

  What a powerful passage of scripture!  God mentioned many important Hebrew rituals in this passage.  He was the one who originally asked them to keep these rituals when He gave them the Law.  However, what He really wanted was a people whose hearts were devoted to Him.  The Hebrews had become a people who were following meaningless rituals and traditions without maintaining the true intent behind the action.  We may be able to fake it and fool others, but we can’t fool God.  He sees past our fake worship and meaningless rituals.  He desires true worship from our hearts.  He desires a real relationship where we admit our weaknesses, hold each other up and continually refocus our hearts and minds on Him. 

            This is why I ask, “Does worship belong in the church?”  I am a Christian musician, and I love worship, but I don’t love fake worship.  I don’t go to church to listen to or participate in a musical performance.  I go there to draw near to God and encourage (or be encouraged by) my brothers and sisters. 

So the answer to our question about worship is both yes and no.  Yes, the act of worshiping God together in unity is a great element to have in a church service.  No, the ritualistic act of corporate worship is not acceptable to God or beneficial for us.  We need to come back to a place as a Church where we have a balance between order and honesty.  We need to be flexible enough to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit if a time of repentance is needed before worship.  We need to be holding each other accountable in a positive, encouraging and understanding way.  We need to put aside ritual, and come back to true worship in the church.