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Quality Worship - can those words go together??

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you enjoyed your turkey (or whatever food makes you happy) and you were able to reflect on what you are thankful for. I definitely have been very blessed and am thankful for a ton. Praise be to God.

So while enjoying some amazing turkey and many delicious sides with my parents today in sunny Lancaster, PA (all the rest of our family is mostly in Michigan), we started talking about worship. [ If you don't know, my dad is a worship leader who I have a lot of respect for. He switches up styles like no one else can and I think its awesome. ] Anyways, my parents were trying to understand my general skepticism and dislike towards contemporary worship music. I went on to explain my reasons, which in a short list, include: I think that the music we sing is just the music that is simply marketed well, music that all sounds the same (i.e. Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Paul Baloche, Tim Hughes - [click his name for his latest single], Big Daddy Weave, Casting Crowns, MercyMe, Hillsong, Gateway, Jeremy Camp, Lincoln Brewster, Michael W. Smith, Phillips, Craig, and Dean...all the exact same sound), music that all says the same thing (just substitutes a new name for Jesus), music that is overproduced, and what can often result in a concert experience rather than a worship one.

Now that list is just off the top of my head. I could spend entire posts unpacking each of those issues. But let's be honest. Everyone can rip apart Christian music, especially if it is the typical worship stuff. Also, I always operate under the assumption that if you are not helping solve the problem, you are more useless than the people doing the wrong. So I tried to explain what I like in worship. I like it very simple. No lights or flash. Usually just an acoustic guitar and a jimbay with a guy and a girl singing. But I can do the choirs and praise teams and even handle an occasional Sunday morning guitar solo. Ultimately it is my decision whether or not I am going to connect with God at this time I've chosen to praise/cry out to God. Music is not the big factor for me, its the lyrics. However, I think most would agree with me that when there is music that you are enjoying, it is SOO much easier to connect with God.

And maybe that is the problem. I don't really like the genre of music that ALL of worship is done in. It bores me. I feel like I could write an entire worship album right now before the new year, put together a band, market it really well, do a tour, get signed to a Christian label, and be set. But I could never do that. First, I'd be whoring myself out for money (and I struggle a LOT with how much money is made off of Jesus' name) and second I would not enjoy what I was doing in the least. Point still stands: it's much to easy.

So I started trying to think of artists who I thought were doing "worship music" (or corporate church music) right. I think that there are definitely songs from bands that have a ton of terrible singles that are sung in churches every week, but that have written some good songs too. I like a lot of the lyrics that have come from Mercy Me (older stuff), but their music is eh. I liked Tomlin's "Arriving" CD, but then every song was oversung (first three songs: Indescribable, Holy is the Lord, How Great is Our God...see my point?). And I haven't even been able to make it threw "Hello Love" (Tomlin's new one) more than twice - I just didn't like it. Jeremy Camp has written some very heartfelt songs that tried to talk about Christ in a fresh way, but sometimes I feel like he is straight out of Nickelback.

But that is also the problem (refering to the fresh way). All these artists are only talking about ONE thing: God. And "there is nothing new under the sun" (see: Ecclesiastes by Soloman). So, it is very hard to write anything fresh or creative. I understand that.

And so do Christians that are my age who are making music. If you start writing Christian music, especially worship music, say good-bye to your career. Any and all credibility is long gone as soon as you do that. That is sad. Seriously. Remember when Christians use to lead the way creatively? Me either. The only genre this takes place in is post-hardcore (what you may call "screaming"). Every other genre, Christians are behind. But I'll save that rant...

So I searched a little bit for some "good worship" music. One of my friends who recently opened for this band told me about how Tooth and Nail (pretty sweet label) just signed their first worship band. I couldn't believe that T-a-N would do that, but I checked out The Glorious Unseen and was impressed (you should play it in the background as you read/respond to this :). It was music that I could actually enjoy and used that crying-out-to-Jesus type lyrics that really connect with me. Lyrically I haven't listened all that much. It is a little bit "churchy" still for me, but I was still impressed. Here is a review from someone who did not like the album, but seems like they come from a somewhat similar place as me.

And I love Derek Webb. Talking about the social issues of our day and giving new analogies of the bride of Christ (Click here to hear Wedding Dress). And like I said, some of the artists I said I really struggle to listen to have also written good songs. I like Crowder and Jars of Clay. Worlds Apart will always live on as one of the best songs ever. And I like hymns and of course I love Psalms.

And that is my struggle. To fight the tension of saying, "hey in the end this won't matter, so who cares about this debate - just worship" and the other side of realizing that God has called us to do things with excellence. I just know we can be doing it better.

But the greatest of these is...Courage??

Cool quote I found on my buddy's profile. Thanks Blake!

"What is, therefore, our task today? Shall I answer: 'Faith, hope, and love'? That sounds beautiful. But I would say - courage. No, even that is not challenging enough to be the whole truth. Our task today is recklessness. For what we Christians lack is not psychology or literature . . . we lack a holy rage - the recklessness which comes from the knowledge of God and humanity. The ability to rage when justice lies prostrate on the streets, and when the lie rages across the face of the earth . . . a holy anger about the things that are wrong in the world. To rage against the ravaging of God's earth, and the destruction of God's world. To rage when little children must die of hunger, when the tables of the rich are sagging with food. To rage at the senseless killing of so many, and against the madness of militaries. To rage at the lie that calls the threat of death and the strategy of destruction peace. To rage against complaceny. To restlessly seek that recklessness that will challenge and seek to change human history until it conforms to the norms of the Kingdom of God. And remember the signs of the Christian Church have been the Lion, the Lamb, the Dove, and the Fish . . . but never the chameleon."
-Kaj Munk

A child my parents have been supporting for many years recently died in a fire at a family reunion in Costa Rica. In addition, a friend from college committed suicide this week. Now I don't have the kind of "rage" that Kaj Munk is talking about for Christ, nor do I think that that would really be appropriate. However, anytime there is a shocking death, it always make me think about life. More specifically, makes me think about my life and what I should be doing with it.

So I like the words from this man (I think Kaj is a male name...), but I am still going to have to go with God on this one, that the greatest of these will always be love. Now I just have to do that, even in the midst of seeing trajedies all around. From Beaver Falls to Darfur, "all we need is love".

The Beatles, "All You Need is Love"

Sigmon for President

So. I have been receiving requests to post my speech that I gave at Inner Metro Green on the subject of "Jesus and Politics: Right, Left, and Beyond". It was a comical speech, but meant to really get people to dive into every single issue this election season. I will be honest that some things I say, I am still in the process of figuring out. Anyways, here it is for those that want to re-read it or read it for the first time. Please post where you agree and where you differ!! This is meant to help us engage in conversation!

"My fellow Americans! My name is Jonathan Sigmon and I am here to announce that I am running for President of the United States of America. Along side of me is my bodyguard, Heath, a great servant of this nation... Let’s switch from joking to come before our Lord. Join me in prayer:

God open up our eyes to see things like you. Give us open minds that are willing to learn, grow, and be stretched. Amen.

Although I believe that both John McCain and Barrack Obama are dedicated servants to this country, I have different viewpoints than them on certain key issues, and is why I will be casting a vote for myself, rather than either candidate. With that said, I believe in the separation of church and state, and think that the Constitution should be our basis for decisions on this country, not necessarily just God’s Holy Word. With that, know that the reason I believe what I believe is based on that, combined with the change in mindset that has been provided through Holy Scriptures. Let’s dive into the issues and where I stand.

Economics/Taxes: The number one single important issue to me as a follower of Christ is the economy. How we use our tax money that we are pumping into our government is crucial. As for my economic policy, I believe in the free market system. I do not support the government bailouts. When we use socialistic policies to interfere with the market, the market cannot naturally correct itself and will result in worse conditions in the long run. I believe that we as individuals are to take care of the poor, the widows, the fatherless, etc., but that generally speaking government programs are ineffective and more importantly, not the role of government. I believe in low taxes and a very low amount of spending by the government. Democrats are looking to increase taxes too much on those who have worked hard to earn their money and their socialistic approach to economics, although it sounds tempting, does not work. I also like the Libertarian idea of making the dollar stand against something (specifically gold) to have a standard set, rather than the Fed creating the value of the dollar.

Let’s dive into our present economic condition here. Did you know that President Bush has doubled our national deficit from $5.7 to $10 trillion dollars? Barrack Obama is proposing all these tax cuts, but says each individual will get up to “$2,500 per year” reduction in health care costs, investing $150 billion in new energy opportunities, and billions more in education. That sounds great, but if McCain wants to lower taxes on the rich and continue the War, and Obama increase all this spending, where do we come up with this money? [pause]. It will be the responsibility of us as taxpayers later on in life. Either that, or the Fed will do what chairman Ben Bernanke is doing right now – printing off more and more money and devaluing our currency even further compared to other countries.

The War in Iraq: I am no longer supportive of a strong military presence in Iraq. We need to get out of there – it is their responsibility now. We need to tell the Iraqi government that it is their responsibility to govern and, as Obama has said, that we need to stop the “blank check approach of President Bush” (www.barrackobama.com). I am sick of spending billions of dollars overseas ($8.4 billion dollars per month according to americanprogress.com). In addition, I think that responding to hate with hate only propagates more hate in our war on terror. Generally speaking I am a pacifist, as that is how I think Christ would handle most situations, although I do think that there are times where we have to act against terroristic attacks. So, my first reaction is to turn the cheek, but I also am not going to allow another nation to plow over us because of their hatred towards us. In that case, I am for military action. I do believe in supporting the troops financially and in every other way for their great service to our country. At the end of the day, it is not America’s role to spread democracy, but should do what it can to establish national security.

Going Green: I believe and practice taking better care of our planet. I believe that humans cause much of global warming and that we have a God-given mandate to take care of His creation. For me, this starts on an individual level. Many of you know that I work at Starbucks (and will be headed there in about 2 hours if you want some coffee). Now normally Starbucks just throws away its newspapers, and many Starbucks do not recycle the bagillion milk cartons they go through every day for your lattes. However, I have told my manager how important I believe it is to recycle goods, and we recycle every single milk carton. Also, I personally collect the newspapers and recycle them from my house. Now this takes next to no effort and helps to preserve this wonderful creation that God has given to us. We all need to look for small and large actions we can take to preserve our Earth for the next generations. I love the “Green” and “Fair Trade” movements.

Health Care: I think the idea of universal health care is utterly ridiculous, based mostly on how it has proved to be ineffective in other nations. The cost is too high and the crowded hospitals and wait for urgent care would be too long. I do believe, however, that children (up until age 18) should have the right to health care, but the only way to reduce costs is the privatization of health care. The more competition there is, the more the costs will lower. Government intervention from higher taxes so that everyone can have health care is not the answer. It just won’t work.

Social Issues: I’m sure you know how big this area is. Genocide in Rwanda resulting in between 800,000 and 1 million people dead! Genocide in Darfur with around 500,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. There is the AIDS pandemic, with total deaths to 25 million since it was recognized in 1981. 25 million, one disease. Did you know there is 32 billion dollars made off of sex slaves every year??? There are 27 million sex slaves right now and that number is growing across the globe! In India, slaves cost less than cattle. There are 17,000 sex slaves trafficked through America each year! What the heck are we doing as Christians about these things and what role does government have in these issues? As Christians, we should actively be engaging these problems with our finances and our time. There are tons of programs and humanitarian organizations to get involved with in helping to contain these issues on a local and global level. I believe that our government should step in on these issues and would love to use my tax dollars towards stopping these injustices. However, it is more so the responsibility of us as individuals to learn more, then take action. I will get off this high horse now though, or I will be here for the next 30 minutes. These astounding statistics are MEANT to rattle your faith if you were formerly unaware. Once you are aware, then what will you do?

Gun Control: I believe that law-abiding citizens have a right under the 2nd Amendment to own guns. Stricter gun control sounds good, but all it does is make it harder for law-abiding citizens to get access to guns. New York and their strict gun policies still have terrible gun problems, so stricter rules is not the answer, it is figuring out how to eliminate the illegal distribution of weapons.

Abortion: First off, notice where abortion has been placed in this presentation. Not first. With that, I will say my stance. I think that abortion is America’s own version of genocide. Period. However, I have personally lost faith that the Roe v. Wade decision will ever be overturned. There are too many liberal organizations that would go bizurk and too many abortions that would begin to take place in the underground. I do not believe that it is a woman’s choice to kill her baby and think that birth begins at conception. Partial birth abortion is unbelievable to me. However, if someone is to make abortion their sole reason in a vote, I would challenge them to look at the larger picture. President Bush won the election because of Evangelical Christians, and largely because of this one issue. However, besides electing a Supreme Court Justice member that is Pro-Life, I have seen little progress in stopping abortion. So, I am against abortion, but it is not reason enough for me to cast a vote one way or another.

Gay Marriage: I am for civil unions, but would love to call them civil unions as opposed to marriage. I do think that these civil unions should have the exact same rights as people who are married. The bigger issue for me is to love those who have chosen a different lifestyle than me. Conservatives drive me nutz on this issue, saying that they love gays, but never giving them equal rights. Those messages, along with “You will burn in hell one day”, do not add up for me as a Christian. That is why I do not speak out against gay marriage, although I would love to see the sanctity of that union to man and woman, it is a low priority on my list. Homosexuality is a choice, and is a sin, but when I look at how I think Jesus would handle this complex issue in modern day culture, I see him casting love on sinners of all kinds, myself included.

I am going to skip my stances on immigration, energy, and education.

I want to conclude first with letting you know that I am not actually running for president. I know all of you are all very sad because you agreed with absolutely everything that I said and feel that although I have never held an office, my 22 years of life experience is enough. I want to say this though as a challenge. Maybe you are sitting there thinking, “Man I don’t know half of this stuff about politics”. Absolutely all this information is on the candidate’s websites, or through Wikipedia or Google. Even if all of this information can seem overwhelming, it is our responsibility to learn with whatever resources we can get our hands on. Politics affect every one of our lives, whether we hate them or not. The goal of my time spent here was to make us all take a holistic approach to politics, with our basis as the Constitution and Christ as the guide to our decisions. Mark Noll says in his book, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, "Despite dynamic success at a popular level, modern American evangelicals have failed notably in sustaining serious intellectual life" (3). I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be associated with the stereotype of not critically thinking through these tough issues of our day.

Thank you for your time and praise be to our Creator who is in control of everything. Peace be with you."

That was the speech! I stuck to it pretty closely. Next time I want a television teleprompter, but you gotta start at the grassroots level :o). Now, I personally could rip apart some of the things that I said and flaws in my thought processes. What areas are most important to you? What would you do differently if you were running for president? Now that we are outside of the "church walls", you are allowed to endorse a candidate if you feel it is necessary. Peace out America.

Philosophy of Worship

Another post for the IMG website:

At Inner Metro Green, we believe in real, organic worship. We are not looking to make worship a big production. That is for the rock stars. Although we love going to concerts, worship in our minds is the exact opposite. There is no entertainment or shredding on the guitar. It’s someone taking us to the Highest Being and pleading for forgiveness. It’s thanking God for giving us another day alive to praise His name.

The worship leader at IMG is me, Jonathan Sigmon. I facilitate the time we take each Sunday morning to praise our Creator through song, prayer, and other forms of worship. The vision of worship is still being created, but the goal is to get as many people involved as possible. The goal is to not do the same thing every week and think outside of the box, while still recognizing that we are humans and occasionally enjoy structure.

As for the song selection, IMG is very picky about the words we sing. I will admit that I have many pet peeve’s of the songs that are sung in church and am not looking to simply repeat the same phrase over and over and over. Also, the song has to be a song that a whole group can follow. However, we will never insult our group’s intelligence by choosing simple songs with meaningless words (or words that none of us understand!). More importantly, our heart is to praise God. Of course there will be times where you hate the song being sung or may get bored during worship. We encourage you to take time and redirect your energies to prayer and reflection.

As for me, I am not a performer. I am barely an average guitar player and sing with an average voice. But that is ok. At IMG we are not looking for the most talented and best rehearsed if they are not trying to honor God with their lives. Of course, we are not looking to just throw anyone up there. You have to be gifted in order to play or sing. However, whether you are up front or not, we are all worshipping God together and it really does not matter who is up there.

Our purpose as human beings is to reflect God.

“Why We Worship God”

I wrote this for the Inner Metro Green website and thought it would be a good start to this blog. I hope you enjoy reading as I embark on this journey to figure out what it means to worship God with my life and through song.

Worship can seem like such a funny thing. When you look at it, at least for me, it seems so strange. People around you are closing their eyes, raising their hands in the air, maybe even shouting to an unseen being.

Although sometimes people praising God can be attempting to draw attention to themselves, the reason that so many are praising the Creator is because of what He has done for them. It’s not that us as believers do not experience and see the same crap in the world as everyone else. It’s that we know God has saved us from the dead and given us new life. Because of this, we cannot help but praise Him.

I’ll be the first to agree that there is some weird stuff that happens in churches when it comes to singing praises to God. There was a period in my life where I would go to church and think everyone raising their hands was just trying to show how holy they were. However, many of these things are biblical expressions. The reason we were created was to worship God. Period.
If I ever raise my hands, I am reaching for God like a young child reaches for his father in need. I’m showing my submission to the One who made me. If I close my eyes, I’m trying to envision the thrown of God and what that may look like. I’m thinking of the sacrifice Christ took on the cross.

Back in the day of Adam and Eve, God created man to be intimate with Him. Of course, we took the apple, and that intimacy has been deeply tarnished. However, God still wants us to share everything with him - from that annoying person at work to your thankfulness for simply having a job or a place to sleep. Maybe you can’t see anything going right in your life. Either way, God wants us to tell him and be our provider.

So Christians take time out of their week specifically for only praising God (and the time we’ve chosen is at 10:30 on a Sunday morning). Worship is definitely a lifestyle, praising Him in whatever place he has put you. For me, I like to worship through laughing and connecting with others. How do you worship God with your life?