"If you have any semblance of modern, band-driven worship, I guarantee you’ve had complaints about volume. I had a guy who would stick toilet paper in his ears every week and obnoxiously pace the foyer during the music set. So what’s the perfect volume? In this case, Disney has the answer. Disney seems to have a knack for managing expectations and providing the best user experience on the planet. They can teach us a thing or two about worship." (Jordan Richmond)This article would be so amazing to people in that game. However, I found this article widened my eyes a bit.
1. We let church mechanics dominate our Life too much. I was there. Every story, every encounter, every down moment with family, with anyone, still had me scurrying to jot down random experiences or thoughts for my sermon or Bible study. Can't loose those precious thoughts.... the church will be wowed by them.... Looking back, and though very supportive, and never complaining, i don't think my family was wowed by them and why should they be proud of me for this? How can you be in the moment like that when you're planning ahead for the church stuff? Just savor the thoughts for what they are, and do not let it distract us from the precious people (they are the church too) in front of us. But dude, really, out scanning decibels at Disney land with your family? Like a 10 second internet search could not tell us already where the volume should be. It's not good dude, life is out of wack and you will look back at this and be sorry. Sure, Jesus is a 24/7 journey, but church operation mechanics is not, and does not deserve your family time. If we are having trouble turning that stuff off (I did, in that stage of life too), it's a sign we need some help with balance.
2. Disney can't teach us about worship- only marketing and volume decibels Beside the fact that this is a total misuse of the term worship, when we reference an event. The NT never uses the word worship to refer to a gathering event. That event container is too small for the rich full bodied meaning of worship. Worship is all of life lived out in the reality, and for the glory of God....not merely singing songs on Sunday.
3. We really despise people who will not go along with our show. Hey, when we have a plan, a vision (an agenda) we wish to accomplish, it's REALLY annoying when people will not fall in line with it (control issues) When i was immersed in that church culture I felt it too. People as individuals become less important than our fixation with accomplishing the end goal we are driving toward that will securely establish our greatness and assure a ...ahem....."legacy". Our new leadership paradigms (CEO) really have no love for anyone who will not fall in line. Even if it's causing them pain, they never have a good enough reason for me, and certainly should not have the right to not go along because they are poor team players, negative, subversive. This new leadership would just rather you go away, and they will tell you so too. The way he referred to the guy in the hall.... ya those kind of "followers" really piss off those kind of "leaders", make no mistake about it, there is nothing spiritual about it either. Leaders get nasty with hippie followers, because they can't herd them.
Maybe the guys ears are sensitive... I have a son like this, and it causes him discomfort and he needs to leave some places. And it's not an unusual thing for people. The guy came to church each week. He steps out for the problematic volume issue. He has been in the church conformity box long enough to know that you think he is an ass, and standing out there he feels like an ass too, why he nervously paces... he knows what people are thinking too, and he's not wrong either. Everyone will also be an ass in how they relate and speak about him now. Maybe he just does not like it, and how he expresses it is making him an ass. But what should he do? If the volume bothers him, is it not permissible to step out for a bit? What do we care? What sweat off our nose, other than the fact it pisses us off, and we are uncomfortable about it? Ya I know...sit down and blend in, put on the spiritual church camo, or go away. ;-) Yes, for us the show is sold as a message from heaven, so he dare not miss it. That music, well you can't grow in any fashion as a believer without hearing it, so Sit in, take the pain, and be a good little church soldier boy, and support this, at all cost, at all points, because it's not about you...... It's about....... Gooooooo..........the machinery. ;-)
Bottom line, we want conformity, and uniformity, and we will run over anyone perceived to stand in the way. We don't have time for dissenters. Anyway, I'm not bashing this guy....this guy is me.....
However, if this guy happens to stumble on this some day ( like... NOT EVER). Dude, you will look back some day and experience a very tired feeling, maybe even a little sad feeling, about how we lived for the machinery and thought about the church machinery instead of being fully there in our relationships with our wife and kids, anyone for that matter. I thought I was balancing it well too. I was being the good little CEO. My wife never had complaints either. But we both look back and wonder why we lived that life, a life where we could never sit and just be, smell the roses, and soak in the beautiful sky, and just be....with our kids and each other, basking in the now of relationships and time spent with people. I know, you think this is important Kingdom work, habits, and thoughts. I know, you think you have it under control, but you don't. It is controlling you.
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