Book Review: Worship Matters

Anyone involved in the music ministry of a church, non-musical pastors included, need to read Bob Kauflin's Worship Matters. Its content is broad, ranging from grand visions like the theology behind worship to nitty-gritty details of music team management and implementation of worship techniques (e.g. useful chord progressions for improvisation). Each topic is covered well, but Kauflin does a good job pointing to other resources for anyone interested in studying these sweeping concepts more deeply. What makes this book so helpful is that it strives to point your heart in the right direction in all worship decisions to make.

Worship matters. It matters to God because he is the one ultimately worthy of all worship. It matters to us because worshiping God is the reason for which we were created. And it matters to every worship leader, because we have no greater privilege than leading others to encounter the greatness of God. That's why it's so important to think carefully about what we do and why we do it. [p 19]

And he does think carefully. Your theology is probably different than Bob Kauflin's, but he doesn't impose his differences on you. Instead, he equips you to make wise decisions out of your theological differences that you may worship God in faith with a clear conscience.

The book is split into a few sections. The first part defines worship. He does very well, but it seems as though he's inconsistent with his definitions and terminology through the book. A person might feel guilty for using the term 'worship leader' after initially thinking it through, but then Kauflin decides to use that term throughout. After bolstering our theological understanding of worship, the second part of the book explores the phrases that defines 'worship leader':

A faithful worship leader magnifies the greatness of God in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit by skillfully combining God's Word with music, thereby motivating the gathered church to proclaim the gospel, to cherish God's presence, and to live for God's glory. [p 55]

The final portion of the book details the ins and outs of music team management, and it can be beneficial to anyone calling themselves a worship leader, worship planner, music director, music minister (or again, pastor). Even general music team members might benefit from reading this part, because then everyone can be held accountable to having an appropriate heart about music ministry decisions. If a vocalist is asked to step down from the ministry, it doesn't necessarily mean the worship leader feels threatened by the talent of the vocalist (among other potential objections). So if the whole music team has the same understanding of expectations and potential logistical changes, it may mitigate hurt feeling when a hard decision is made. Kauflin says, "being on the music team is an opportunity to serve, not a right to protect."

I highly recommend this book. And if you're a pastor, please take the time to read it. At the very least, read the last chapter, which was written specifically to pastors.

Worship isn't a gig. It's the overflow of a life devoted to the glory of Jesus Christ. [p 230]

Book Review: Surprised By Joy

In addition to reviewing Surprised By Joy, I wish to take a moment to review Google Books and their e-readers.

Google Books


I have been reading via ebooks since the first Kindle DX was released. Amazon has a fine system set up, and I like that I can buy a book and read it on my Kindle, my phone or my computer. I actually take advantage of this feature quite often. Google released their own ebook store not too long ago, so I've been looking for a good reason to use it. Surprised By Joy was the first ebook that Google sold that Amazon did not, so I read the book on my Android phone and through Google's web reader.

There is not much I can recommend; it is simply a terrible system. The ebook store sells copies of the scans Google has made as part of their effort to organize the information in the world's books. They sell ebooks of their scanned books where they've acquired the license. So instead of marked-up text (which is what Amazon and B&N sell when you purchase an ebook), you are buying an image. This gives you far less flexibility (e.g. in the ability to easily resize), and the quality is often lacking, and important features like a robust Table of Contents are corrupt. Google has a feature that allows you to read the book in flowing text, but their translation is awful. Commas are often periods and periods are often missing. "I" and "1" are interchangeable and many words are just plain wrong (for instance, on page 234 of Surprised By Joy, the word "direction" was translated as the non-word "dkection"). There are no easy ways to indicate problems, not that I ought to be helping Google polish their work after paying good money for a book.

Finally, Google's reader removes practically all of the advantages of electronic reading. It is not possible to highlight or bookmark. No notes can be saved in the text. I would rather find the physical book before paying for another book from Google. This surprises me because Google does so many things well, but not ebooks.

Surprised By Joy


This book surprised me in a pleasant way. I was expecting an autobiography. It was, but it was only biographical as it pertained to C.S. Lewis' conversion. So in reality, it's a book-length testimony. I am thankful for that, however, and my respect for a respectable man has increased tremendously after reading about the means of grace in this man's life.

This book can be good for practically anyone. It glorifies God and will give strength to a believer. It may point an unbeliever in the right philosophical or logical direction toward Christianity. No doubt many critics of Christianity are somewhere on the spectrum Lewis passed through (from the Absolute to "Spirit" and from "Spirit" to "God"). It will humble all as the reader understands how ignorant of literature he or she truly is.

For what the book is, I do not see any downsides, and so my only other recommendation would be to step through the few chapters on which I've written.

Chapter 1
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 15

Surprised By Joy: Chapter 15

This is the final chapter in C.S. Lewis' autobiography. To this point he has transitioned from staunch Atheist to devout Theist, and this chapter shows how God brought him to belief in Christ. I would highly recommend reading this chapter if there's no time for the whole book (or the final three chapters if time can be spared). These, in my estimation, are the great parts of the chapter.

God used a great, logical mind to draw Lewis to Himself:

     In my mind ... the perplexing multiplicity of "religions" began to sort itself out. The real clue had been put into my hand by that hard-boiled Atheist when he said, "Rum thing, all that about the Dying God. Seems to have really happened once"; by him and by Barfield's encouragement of a more respectful, if not more delighted, attitude to Pagan myth. The question was no longer to find the one simply true religion among a thousand religions simply false. It was rather, "Where has religion reached its true maturity? Where, if anywhere, have the hints of all Paganism been fulfilled?" ...
     There were really only two answers possible: either in Hinduism or in Christianity. Everything else was either a preparation for, or else (in the French sense) a vulgarization of, these. Whatever you could find elsewhere you could find better in one of these. But Hinduism seemed to have two disqualifications. For one thing, it appeared to be not so much a moralized and philosophical maturity of Paganism as a mere oil-and-water coexistence of philosophy side by side with Paganism unpurged ... And secondly, there was no such historical claim as in Christianity.
     I was by now too experienced in literary criticism to regard the Gospels as myths. They had not the mythical taste. And yet the very matter which they set down in their artless, historical fashion—those narrow, unattractive Jews, too blind to the mythical wealth of the Pagan world around them—was precisely the matter of the great myths. If ever a myth had become fact, had been incarnated, it would be just like this. And nothing else in all literature was just like this. Myths were like it in one way. Histories were like it in another. But nothing was simply like it.

And finally, genuine conversion:

To accept the Incarnation was a further step in the same direction. It brings God nearer, or near in a new way. And this, I found, was something I had not wanted. But to recognize the ground for my evasion was of course to recognize both its shame and its futility. I know very well when, but hardly how, the final step was taken. I was driven to Whipsnade one sunny morning. When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did. Yet I had not exactly spent the journey in thought. Nor in great emotion. "Emotional" is perhaps the last word we can apply to some of the most important events. It was more like when a man, after long sleep, still lying motionless in bed, becomes aware that he is now awake. And it was, like that moment on top of the bus, ambiguous. Freedom, or necessity? Or do they differ at their maximum?

Surprised By Joy, Chapter 9: New Atheists

Having said that he [Lewis' instructor "Kirk"] was an Atheist, I hasten to add that he was a "Rationalist" of the old, high and dry nineteenth-century type. For Atheism has come down in the world since those days, and mixed itself with politics and learned to dabble in dirt. The anonymous donor who now sends me anti-God magazines hopes, no doubt, to hurt the Christian in me; he really hurts the ex-Atheist. I am ashamed that my old mates and (which matters much more) Kirk's old mates should have sunk to what they are now. It was different then; even McCabe wrote like a man. At the time when I knew him, the fuel of Kirk's Atheism was chiefly of the anthropological and pessimistic kind. He was great on The Golden Bough and Schopenhauer.

C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy, p. 152

What's old is new again. The recent resurgence of the New Atheists sounds much like the proselytizing atheists of Lewis' day. It is fascinating that some atheists are not content to stew in their own nihilism. They defeat their own argument by caring so much; for if they were right, there would be no point in convincing every they're right: all will be gone, all will be lost at the heat death of the universe. There may as well have never been pain and sorrow, joy and delight, life itself, for the memory of existence will fade away. By finding meaning in something, the anti-theist imparts significance to life. This group sounds a bit like what C.S. Lewis had previously called himself, "very angry at God for not existing."

Lewis makes a great point about what the New Atheism accomplishes: giving boldness to someone who has already made up their mind. That's it. They do not truly harm those with faith, for those who truly believe in God know that the New Atheists are just dabbling in dirt.

These who have set their lives vehemently opposed to God need prayer and witness. If this group succeeds in fooling the world with their non-belief, life will become very dark. But exceeding the horror of earth's consequences is the eternal destiny of their souls. If they do not confess in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, their eternal separation from all of God's grace is tragic. Soul-rendingly, heart-breakingly tragic.

Book Review: The Child's Book on Repentance

Book Review Disclaimer: When I finish reading a book, I'll write my opinion of the book. This is not a formal book review. When I read reviews according to publishing standards, it's pretty clear everyone tries to stay within convention. I don't care about those rules, so don't be surprised if the review is too long or short, and I will not necessarily try to give at least one positive and one negative point (pardon me, give constructive criticism). Many reviews have a contrived point because they must flesh out the template. I may or may not give a summary of the content, so if you feel something's lacking, I'm sure there are plenty of real book reviews that will satisfy your curiosities. Naturally, I'll be way behind the times, reviewing old books. I read the occasional new blockbuster, but I'm spending a lot of time catching up. If you have that same desire, to catch up a little, then perhaps these reviews can be of some help.

Stop whatever you're doing to read Thomas Gallaudet's little book, The Child's Book on Repentance. Rev. Gallaudet was a Puritan writer, so a beautiful thing about this book is that it's in the public domain. One place to read the book for free is at Google Books [book it here], which works in your browser as well as many other devices.

He hints at this in his subtitle, but the title could really drop the word 'Child'. I do not think most Christian adults understand the true fullness of repentance. Repentance is intimately linked to belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ [Matt 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:5, Acts 2:38]. You have not actually believed anything Jesus has said unless you've repented.

The first half of the book is devoted to showing types of false repentance. Too many fool themselves with insincere religion--there is no real change of heart--and a person's type of repentance is a good measuring stick to test the genuineness of their faith. Most types of false repentance revolve around selfishness with an appearance of repentance, but the true motive is simply to pursue personal benefit or escape punishment (sometimes only temporarily).

The book improves as it progresses, and the last four chapters are fantastic. Gallaudet shows how true repentance is seen by a mourning over sin since it's against a holy and perfect God, a heart of consistent repentance, a trust in Jesus Christ as Savior as the hope for repentance and the Holy Spirit as the means of repentance. The whole concept is wrapped up exactly where it belongs--in the gospel. You cannot have the gospel without repentance, and you cannot have repentance without the gospel.

You'll adapt to the language after a couple of chapters, and it should really start speaking to you. It's a short book, but it's profound. Get this book and read it to your family. If you're a pastor, buy a copy of the book for every member in your congregation, and exhort them to read it.

Surprised By Joy, Chapter 7

It had been a while since something really popped out at me while reading C.S. Lewis' autobiography, but  chapter 7 surprised me. Much of the story to this point has been about his primary education, and now he talks about the social aspects of his secondary education. Being the modern American ignoramus I am, I knew of practically none of the literary references Lewis made (e.g. "Pan and Dionysus lacked the cold, piercing appeal of Odin and Frey"). Nevertheless, the insight into his experiences while at Wyvern College (the Coll) were profound. He named the chapter Light and Shade, but when I read it I can't help but think Oh The Humanity.

On literary snobbery:

I could not help knowing that most other people, boys and grown-ups alike, did not care for the books I read. A very few tastes I could share with my father, a few more with my brother; apart from that, there was no point of contact, and this I accepted as a sort of natural law. If I reflected on it at all, it would have given me, I think, a slight feeling, not of superiority, but of inferiority. The latest popular novel was so obviously a more adult, a more normal, a more sophisticated taste than any of mine. A certain shame or bashfulness attached itself to whatever one deeply and privately enjoyed. I went to the Coll far more disposed to excuse my literary tastes than to plume myself on them.

The [sarcastic] defense of the Wyvern hazing system:

Obviously a certain grave danger was ever present to the minds of those who built up the Wyvernian hierarchy. It seemed to them self-evident that, if you left things to themselves, boys of nineteen who played rugger for the county and boxed for the school would everywhere be knocked down and sat on by boys of thirteen. And that, you know, would be a very shocking spectacle. The most elaborate mechanism, therefore, had to be devised for protecting the strong against the weak, the close corporation of Old Hands against the parcel of newcomers who were strangers to one another and to everyone in the place, the poor, trembling lions against the furious and ravening sheep.

C.S. Lewis has profound insight into human nature, though he gives adults too much credit. I believe the difference between children and adults in this regard is that adults have learned to be far more subtle about self promotion. Adults can calculate more moves ahead in the game of life.

But the essential evil of public-school life, as I see it, did not lie either in the sufferings of the fags or in the privileged arrogance of the Bloods. These were symptoms of something more all-pervasive, something which, in the long run, did most harm to the boys who succeeded best at school and were happiest there. Spiritually speaking, the deadly thing was that school life was a life almost wholly dominated by the social struggle; to get on, to arrive, or, having reached the top, to remain there, was the absorbing preoccupation. It is often, of course, the preoccupation of adult life as well; but I have not yet seen any adult society in which the surrender to this impulse was so total. And from it, at school as in the world, all sorts of meanness flow; the sycophancy that courts those higher in the scale, the cultivation of those whom it is well to know, the speedy abandonment of friendships that will not help on the upward path, the readiness to join the cry against the unpopular, the secret motive in almost every action. The Wyvernians seem to me in retrospect to have been the least spontaneous, in that sense the least boyish, society I have ever known. It would perhaps not be too much to say that in some boys' lives everything was calculated to the great end of advancement. For this games played; for this clothes, friends, amusements, and vices were chosen.

Near the end of the chapter, Lewis comments on his only written work while attending Wyvern.

But the Northernness still came first and the only work I completed at this time was a tragedy, Norse in subject and Greek in form. It was called Loki Bound and was as classical as any Humanist could have desired, with Prologos, Parodos, Epeisodia, Stasima, Exodos, Stichomythia, and (of course) one passage in trochaic septenarii—with rhyme. I never enjoyed anything more. The content is significant. My Loki was not merely malicious. He was against Odin because Odin had created a world though Loki had clearly warned him that this was a wanton cruelty. Why should creatures have the burden of existence forced on them without their consent? The main contrast in my play was between the sad wisdom of Loki and the brutal orthodoxy of Thor. ...

The other feature in Loki Bound which may be worth commenting on is the pessimism. I was at this time living, like so many Atheists or Antitheists, in a whirl of contradictions. I maintained that God did not exist. I was also very angry with God for not existing. I was equally angry with Him for creating a world.

The chapter ends with Lewis' analysis of his pessimism:

Never at any age did I clamor to be amused; always and at all ages (where I dared) I hotly demanded not to be interrupted. The pessimism, or cowardice, which would prefer nonexistence itself to even the mildest unhappiness was thus merely the generalization of all these pusillanimous preferences. And it remains true that I have, almost all my life, been quite unable to feel that horror of nonentity, of annihilation, which, say, Dr. Johnson felt so strongly. I felt it for the first time only in 1947. But that was after I had long been reconverted and thus begun to know what life really is and what would have been lost by missing it.

Book Review: Just Walk Across the Room

Book Review Disclaimer: When I finish reading a book, I'll write my opinion of the book. This is not a formal book review. When I read reviews according to publishing standards, it's pretty clear everyone tries to stay within convention. I don't care about those rules, so don't be surprised if the review is too long or short, and I will not necessarily try to give at least one positive and one negative point (pardon me, give constructive criticism). Many reviews have a contrived point because they must flesh out the template. I may or may not give a summary of the content, so if you feel something's lacking, I'm sure there are plenty of real book reviews that will satisfy your curiosities. Naturally, I'll be way behind the times, reviewing old books. I read the occasional new blockbuster, but I'm spending a lot of time catching up. If you have that same desire, to catch up a little, then perhaps these reviews can be of some help.

Bill Hybels tells stories better than anyone I know. I think this strength is one of the big reasons Willow Creek is so well attended. In that regard, his book Just Walk Across the Room: Simple Steps to Pointing People to Faith does not disappoint. Stories are how he accomplishes explaining why evangelism is important, how to do evangelism (and how not to), and his personal experience in various evangelistic circumstances.

This book is a great start. Evangelism is one of the most overlooked commands of Christ in today's church. It's true, we all have fear, and most cope by avoidance. So Hybels' encouragement is to seek some discomfort (he calls it 'The Zone of the Unknown') for the sake of eternity--to show love to the people in your life. He stresses genuine love, and I appreciate the thoughtfulness to contrasting that with methods that are wooden and contrived. We need hearts that bleed for the lost!

The vast majority in the church do not take the first step. We all stay in our comfortable circles, and we excuse ourselves by saying we don't have the gift of evangelism. We pass the baton to some proverbial gifted disciple hoping that they (whoever 'they' are) will take care of the task. We are all called to love our neighbor and share this great treasure, this pearl of great value, to all in our lives. For that calling I applaud Bill Hybels. Much fruit would be harvested if this call was heeded: the fields are white for harvest.

The other strong point of the book is the beginning of the last chapter. The exhortation to prayer is wisely and relevantly written, and the admonition is strong: Devote. Yourselves. To prayer. His thoughts about praying without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17) are very practical: "When you understand the concept of being devoted to prayer, it's as if you have one ear tuned in to the conversation you're in, while the other ear is tuned in to God. You may be in dialogue with someone about any number of things -- the latest news or sports or how work is going, whatever -- but you are constantly asking, God, is this an open door? Do you want me to probe that? Do you want me to encourage him? What do you need or want me to do Guide me here, please." And I believe that heart can extend to all of life, not just in areas of evangelism.

I would recommend going deeper, however. Perhaps after getting people to step on the diving board and consider jumping off, he might assume that a reader's desire would be for deeper understanding and further independent study. But throughout the book I felt his methods lacking. His personal means of evangelism was to invite people to church. Sometimes he never knew whether or not they ever came (unless they told him later). He warns against being a used-car salesman bent on closing the deal, and there is a real danger focusing on results instead of remaining faithful, but at some point you need to preach the gospel. A lot of learning what you need to gain a deeper understanding of evangelism happens when you simply get involved, so tie your tunics, strap your sandals and hit the road!

A peeve I had through this book is how Hybels makes Jesus into his image. Every Bible account is retold through the glasses of Bill, as he would talk if he were Jesus. This need not necessarily be a bad thing, but a lot of the embellishment includes extra-biblical assumption. This can be dangerous and give people who don't know the Bible very well a false impression of what it actually says. That said, this man understands the true implications of accepting or rejecting Christ, and while he'll put as positive a spin on everything he preaches, he remains faithful to the message the Bible teaches.

Personally, I will use this book as a reference, but I probably wouldn't recommend it as the first book on evangelism to read. The heart behind the book is sound even if I don't agree with all of the methods. The lessons can be taught fairly quickly--they don't require an entire book. If you learn to be bold in evangelism, get involved in the lives of others (love your neighbor), know how to give your testimony, and actually get involved in evangelistic (or pre-evangelistic) activities, you've got most of what this book can teach you.

First Religious Experience

My mother's death was the occasion of what some (but not I) might regard as my first religious experience. When her case was pronounced hopeless I remembered what I had been taught; that prayers offered in faith would be granted. I accordingly set myself to produce by will power a firm belief that my prayers for her recovery would be successful; and, as I thought, I achieved it. When nevertheless she died I shifted my ground and worked myself into a belief that there was to be a miracle. The interesting thing is that my disappointment produced no results beyond itself. The thing hadn't worked, but I was used to things not working, and I thought no more about it. I think the truth is that the belief into which I had hypnotized myself was itself too irreligious for its failure to cause any religious revolution. I had approached God, or my idea of God, without love, without awe, even without fear. He was, in my mental picture of this miracle, to appear neither as Savior nor as Judge, but merely as a magician; and when He had done what was required of Him I supposed He would simply---well, go away. It never crossed my mind that the tremendous contact which I solicited should have any consequences beyond restoring the status quo. I imagine that a "faith" of this kind is often generated in children and that its disappointment is of no religious importance; just as the things believed in, if they could happen and be only as the child pictures them, would be of no religious importance either.

--C.S. Lewis, Surprised By Joy, pp. 20-21 (emphasis mine)

C.S. Lewis mentions that this kind of "faith" is often generated in children. He would change his mind if he lived in this generation--this kind of faith seems to be the primary kind of people young and old.

The despair of false faith is that it's false enough that it can't detect its own falseness. There is no real expectation of result, so any disappointment seems normal and consequently there is no conversion. Many give up on God because he doesn't fulfill their wishes (as if he were a genie), but they never really expected him to do anything to begin with. There is no true belief. There is no faith.

This theme is the second most common problem in relating to God. The first and most severe problem with every single person is utter rebellion against the rule of God. From Adam and Eve down to you and me, every single human being who was not Jesus Christ has actively rebelled against the Creator. But for many that appear to turn back to him, they don't want to follow God, they want God to follow them. The Bible shows this often, from the wandering Israelites, Balak, King Saul, to the seven sons of Sceva. There are no lack of examples. Today, many preachers make a living teaching this message through a (sometime subtle) prosperity gospel. And if we were all to evaluate our lives, we would see signs of this creeping into parts of our heart.

God can do awesome, miraculous wonders in our lives (Matthew 7:7-11). Is your heart aligned with God's will? Do you want what God wants, or do you expect God to want what you want? Do you genuinely believe that God works in his creation, inside you, changes hearts and moves mountains?

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8 ESV)