Cassette Time Machine

I Chronicles 15:16
Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be singers accompanied by instruments of music. Stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy.

Took a trip yesterday and didn't leave my office.
Went back in time.
1991....
And 2000.
Listened to some cassette tapes (remember those) of some worship meetings I was a part of.
The first one,July 15, 1991, was the very first time I played on a worship team at the Vineyard. Brook Finlayson had asked me if I could come and play bass with their worship team. I didn't fully understand what worship really was. I just knew that these Vineyard folks sang wayyyyyy too much. I was use to 3 songs and an offertory before the preacher gave his message. But I found myself strangely drawn to what I was seeing and hearing.Worship!

The 2000 tape was from our first recovery meeting, House of Blue.
It was a "blow out the jam-bring the roof down" kind of meeting. As I sat there listening to the tape, I was surprised by how much life was in the sound. During that period, we used big bands. We would have as many as 10 people playing. Two guitars, drums, percussion, flute, two keyboards, bass guitar. What we lacked in talent, we made up for in heart. As I listened to the tape, I found myself a little melancholy. I found myself missing those days. Whoa ----where did that come from? This missing and longing for the House of Blue days? I suddenly realized that it was from my flesh and not my spirit. It was a selfish desire that rose up within me. Was that a bad thing? It could have been if I let it roll around in my brain long enough. I am perfectly capable of taking a though from my old nature, putting a spin on it, and calling it something that God wants to do. House of Blue was for a time and for a season. It accomplished everything God intended it to do. We shut it down at the appropriate time and moved to the next call God had given us.

It's been 14 years since the H.O.B. tape. Lot's has happened during that time.
The obvious is that I'm older. I was 48 when the H.O.B. tape was recorded. I'm pushing the hairs off of 63 now. Done a lot...seen a lot....been a part of lot...I'm not the same person. When I left the Vineyard back in 2006 to start a church at Rapha, worship was still a vital part of my life. We moved from big bands with big sound, to a four piece group. Keyboards....two guitars......percussion. I found out quickly that it wasn't the size of the group of that determines the worship, but the heart of the ones in the group. Our first attempts at worship were not very good. We were learning how to play together as a group. As I look back, I see that God took us out of our comfort zone and stretched us a little. 

We had to be creative in the way we arranged songs. We wanted to be able to craft a sound that would be full and yet not overpowering. Truth be known, we never set out to create a sound, it just happened. We were very fortunate to have really good harmony, something we try to take advantage of. The harmony of voices is just as vital as the instruments that are played. Some of my most favorite times is when the Spirit of God comes and the instruments stop but the voices continue to sing. When the words move off of the page and are sung from the heart. The atmosphere in the room totally changes as God's Spirit manifests Himself in the song. I know that I know, in times like this, that we have touched God's heart with our worship. 

Worship is totally about God. It's not about what I can get out of it, as if I'm trying to trick God into something. Oh, there are times when I am a recipient of God's grace and voice during worship, but not because I'm trying to manipulate the service, or coerce God into doing something. It just happens from time to time that He shows up to inhabit the praise of His people. Such is the heart of worship. We aren't singing about God. We are singing to God.

From time to time, Deb Hooks will post a video of our Saturday Night worship on Facebook. Oh, it's fun to take a look and listen to what we were singing,but it's more fun to look at myself. You see, to stand up and lead worship every Saturday night is a desire of my heart. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd still be playing at 62 and 3/4's. I remember writing in my journal back when I was 29 that "my music days were over." I'm thankful that God had different plans for me. He gave me something more wonderful than music...He gave me a heart for a sound that pleases Him. He gave me a heart for worship. He has allowed me to be a part of some pretty neat people to make music and worship with. So here's to Debbie, Barry and Wayne, my cohort's in this journey of worship. In the immortal words of one Larry Brick...."Let's make some noise!"

God on you...
mb