Scott Freeman

(Subtitled: Where I Get Myself in a Good Amount of Trouble)

One good thing about job security is that I don’t have to go through the rigmarole of interviewing for a ministry job. I’ve done way too many of those and would prefer to never have to do it again.

For those of you who haven’t been through the laborious, excruciating and mind-numbing torture of interviewing at a church, let me tell you now: don’t ever try it. It’s horrifying and rarely, if ever, deals with matters of importance. I’ll have more to say about that later.

But in that vein there is a culture, or protocols, around the Church of Christ ministry search that is antiquated and formulaic. In our broader culture there are a series of phrases that I would prefer to never hear again. They are:

10. Any phrase that incorporates the word “Brotherhood.” Aside from it’s immediate exclusion of half of those who affiliate themselves with the COC, it eliminates 99% of the broader world of Christianity. You can toss in with that the use of the phrase “the Church” in sole reference to our tine on the fork of the American Restoration Movement.

9. Guide, Guard and Direct Besides the redundancy, it is the older equivalent of the prominent use of the word “just” in many prayers.

8. Ready Recollection. I appreciate the gesture, but it’s really not necessary. For one, maybe I need to forget something I prepared. Just cause I write it down on Tuesday, doesn’t mean I need to say it out loud on Sunday (This blog post is quickly becoming a good example of that.) Secondly, I haven’t memorized my sermon. It’s all written down in front of me. 14 point, Times New Roman font. Oh, and the important points are on overhead and I control the clicker.
And we probably need to move away from such a dependency on what I say and more of a focus on what God needs to tell us. But the consumerist mentality of modernist worship services is another post altogether.

7. Decent and in Order. In all my years of interacting within the “brotherhood” I have never heard anybody advocate for the inclusion of anything that is indecent. And I even lived in Tennessee. And what order? We all know that if you do communion after the sermon then your entire service is invalidated. I mean, who does that?

6. Rightly Divide the Word of Truth. Yeah, I know it’s from 2 Timothy. But I still don’t know what it means other than I have a hyper-literal interpretation of the passages that agree with the power-brokers.

5. Doctrinally Sound A large number of churches looking for ministers are interested in only “grounded” preachers who are “sound in the Word.” Again, do you think an “unsound” minister is going to see that qualification and think “oh, I guess that leaves me out.” However, it’s typically a sign to stay away.

4. Mechanical Instruments. What is that? How long will we continue to mire ourselves in this pointless debate? And do “mechanical” instruments include all instruments of a mechanical nature including rolling mills and specimen peeling tools? What about barrel organs?

3. Change Agent. Seriously, I’m so fed up with this (Important note: my wife took our middle daughter to a birthday party last week where she was handed the latest Spiritual Dagger blasting Richland Hills, after she was confirmed as a member of a “sound brotherhood” church).
It’s not change agents that bring division in the church. It is the unwillingness to lovingly walk alongside one another as we “work out our salvation.” It is the refusal to bear with one another, giving love and understanding to those who might reach a different conclusion than we do. It is the propensity we have in the church to draw rigid lines in the sand that demands uniformity of belief.
In a setting where I could lose my job by having the “wrong” position on instruments or the role of women in worship but remain relatively secure in my position at the same time I subjugate, dominate, abuse and mistreat my wife it is obvious that something is wrong. And it’s not the “change agents.” It’s the atmosphere where the belief that God elevated something other than love of Him and love of neighbor as the two greatest commandments.

2. “Evangelist.” Another sign that we have things seriously wrong is the idea that the role of evangelist becomes a singular paid position and not the role of a broad cross-section of the Church.

1. “Add to or take away.” First off, I have never added anything to the book of Revelation. That’s Lahaye’s and Jenkin’s job. Secondly, we all add our interpretations and conclusions. Interpreting scripture is not adding to. Imposing a rigid test of inclusion and fellowship is.

Uhh, didn’t mean to say all that. Oh well. Any thoughts or additions?

In light of Heroes coming back from it’s hiatus last night, I thought I would share those who fall under the category of real-life heroes of mine. Man, my conservative blog friends are gonna give me grief about this .

These are in no particular order.

10. The Initial Signatories of the Evangelical Climate Initiative. These individuals broke with the long held evangelical skepticism about climate change and spoke their convictions. I applaud each of these 86 individuals. (Note: I was not one of the initial 86 signatories. I was number 87.)

9. Democrats For Life. This group, which I support, has concrete plans to reduce the frequency of abortions. The Democratic party is slowly waking up to the legitimacy of this group and has broadened their tent to include them.

8. The Amish. For teaching me forgiveness and the power of non-violence. And for making some mean jelly.

7. Christian Peacemaker Teams. For being willing to die for non-violence.

6. Good Teachers. Let’s face it: there are far too many teachers today who have no business in a classroom. But for the ones who are capable and gifted, I am thankful that they are there.

5. The intellectually curious. I am so thankful for and look up to the people in my life who are unafraid to ask hard questions, regardless of how uncomfortable it might make them and how many of their preconceived notions come tumbling down to their pursuit of knowledge.

4. Those who adopt. God bless those who open their hearts and lives to those who otherwise would never know the joys of a home.

3. Those committed to the least of these. From The Simple Way to Larry James and Central Dallas Ministries to Jimmy Dorrell and Mission Waco to Allie in Honduras. I am thankful for their commitment to sharing the love of Jesus for the marginalized oppressed and forgotten. And for showing me that I still have so far to go.

2. Those Who Overcame. Racism, hatred and intolerance are unfortunate staples in our world. To those who face a level of persecution that I will never understand I feel a tremendous level of admiration. From those facing human rights abuses to Christians undergoing persecution under oppressive regimes to those whose voices are still stifled as they continue to clamor for equality.

1. My wife and my parents. My parents are the reasons I have committed my life to ministry. Their tireless faith and belief in my spurred me to dedicate my life to the pursuit of Christ. Tracy shows me every day where I need to be. Her love of people and desire to be with others is indicative of where I need to be. And she has poetry in her soul.

Those are my heroes. How about yours?

For this entry these are things that crop up far too often in my life that I would prefer to avoid.

10. Get up before 7 AM. Just a few short years ago that was 10AM. And I remember a time before that when I would not want to get up before noon. Those days are long gone and I have no desire to sleep that late ever again. However, 7 isn’t too much to ask, is it?

9. Go to Froofy Restaurants. Seriously, what is the purpose of a restaurant if it doesn’t have a healthy selection of fried foods? Yes, I typed that sentence. Souper Salad? Please.

8. Fly. Fortunately I haven’t had to do this in a while. I hate flying. If God had intended us to fly He would have given us wings. The mere thought of sitting in a metal tube hurtling 7 miles up in the air at the speed of sound gives me the heebs.

7. Shopping for Women’s Clothing. There is no way that can come out positively unless you absolutely nail the right color, size, style and occasion. And that means that I have had to have paid a whole lot closer attention to these things than I obviously have.

6. Getting a Haircut. Man, I hate going. If I could get the better half to sign off on it, I would shave my head bald right now.

5. Yard Work. I know many of you find it therapeutic and love working in the yard. I find it therapeutic that I can toss a few books to a college student and get him to do it for me.

4. Moving. Better said, I hate packing in anticipation of moving. Which we are doing in two days. We have boxes. We have stuff to put in boxes. But the stuff and the boxes have not been properly introduced at this point.

3. Going to any Event that requires multiple layers of clothing. Give me jeans and a t-shirt. Isn’t that enough? It’s bad enough that the mindset that believes that ties are a proper adornment for men still persists in my world. But suits, vests or sweaters? Uhh, no.

2. Talking on the Phone. I hate phones. I will beg my wife to make the simplest of phone calls. The sheer prospect of looking up the number, dialing it, waiting for it to ring and either get an answer or a machine is just too much. It’s why God invented email.

1. Going to the Dentist. Or the Doctor. Or anything that involves the use of a waiting room. And the use of sharp instruments. Seriously, dentures wouldn’t be that bad would they?

Thoughts? What do you hate doing?

There is no Top Ten Tuesday today. It will return in two weeks.

Life is hectic.
–Tracy and I have a ministry renewal thing this weekend.
–We move into a new place next week and we have not even begun to pack.
–We finalize the sell of our house on the 16th.
–Unless I find a fill-in I have to preach and teach during that span.
–And two kids have birthdays during that time.

April 18th can’t get here soon enough.

On top of that, I’m running dry on potential top 10 lists. Any suggestions that any of you might have?

A couple of other thoughts:

File This Under “That Ain’t Happening”–

“If Republicans in this election vote in such a way as to say a candidate?s personal life and personal conduct in office doesn?t matter, then a lot of Christian evangelical leaders owe Bill Clinton a public apology.”

– Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R), quoted by the Wall Street Journal, alluding to some of his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination. (HT: Teagan Goddard)

And for all of you worried about “the scenario”, you need to get this.

I’ve extolled the virtues of emusic on several occasions. When I joined backed some time ago I used it as opportunity to discover artists that will never get played on popular radio today. Let’s face it, truly good music isn’t on radio stations that are prone to offer up the latest schlock from Justin Timberlake and Avril Lavigne.

It was hard to limit this to just 10 artists so these are the top artists that I have discovered on emusic. I did not know of them prior. And here is the great deal: if you decide you want to give emusic a try, let me know and I will send you an invitation for 25 free downloads. If you like it and stick around as a customer, I get 50 free downloads .

To give you a greater feel for these artists I include a video for each of them. That also helped me whittle down the list to those I could find a music video for, either by them or some college student with a lot of free time.

10. Storyhill–I just found these guys this week. Incredible harmonies remind me of the mid 90s duo, The Williams Brothers. This video “Give Up the Ghost” is from their new self-titled album.

9. Melissa Mclelland–Looks can be deceiving, and Melissa’s girl next door demeanor belies the angst and acidity of her lyrics. Her album, Stranded in Suburbia, had me laughing at loud with her ability to turn a phrase. This is the mainstream radio ready “Jaded.”

8. Ben Kweller–Hard to believe this guy is just 25. He rocks with some tight songwriting skills. This song, “Sundress,” is from his eponymous album.

7. Hem–I have lauded Hem many times on this blog. I could listen to Sally Ellyson’s beautiful vocals all day long. And I have many times. This song is called Red Wing.

6. Dan Bern–I discovered Bern when I was researching protest music. He has the vocal stylings and lyrical sensibility of a young Dylan. This is the title track off his latest album, Breathe.

5. David Berkeley–If you like Nick Drake, then you will love David Berkeley. I thought this was a well done video using his song “Fire Sign.”

4. Brett Dennen–This guy may look like he’s just 12 years old but he is one of the best up and coming songwriters out there. The TV show Scrubs used his song “Ain’t No Reason” this past week. Hopefully this will mean more publicity for him besides the cable commercial. This video is for the song “There is So Much More,” a post-9/11 reaction song.

3. Josh Joplin–Great songwriting. Terrific band. I had a hard time finding a good video. This is from some video game using the song “Camera One.”

2. Jeff Black–I cannot say enough good stuff about this guy. Both albums that are available on emusic are absolutely stellar. The only video I could find was using clips from “24.” It’s called “Hard Way Out”

1. Matt Nathanson–Matt is one of my favorite artists. His most recent studio album, alas, is not available on emusic, but his recent live album is. And his is a consummate live artist. Check out the song Sing Me Sweet below:

Let me know your thoughts on these artists. Any you recommend? And let me know if you want the free emusic trial.

I realized earlier that the curmudgeon hasn’t appeared in a while. As hard as I try to suppress him, he lurks underneath. Every once in a while he has to appear.

He presents to you now things that are really getting under his skin. Just bubbling under the list are people who are incapable of seeing nuance and news show banter. I mean, really, just give us the news. I don’t really care to see how well the meteorologist and the sports anchor get on.

Anyway:

10. Close Talkers–Not just any close talkers. I understand that some people might not have the boundary issues that I do. It’s the close talkers who won’t take the hint when I back up. Me taking a step backwards is NOT a cue for you to take a step forward. M’kay?

9. Birthday Parties–OK, maybe my folks were phoning it in. I didn’t have a birthday party every year. And either I wasn’t invited or my friends didn’t have one every year either. But if this rate of expansion continues I will have to quit my job just to be able to take my kids to all the birthday parties that they and their little friends have.

8. Use of the term “the church” exclusively for the Church of Christ. 1952 called. They want their isolationism, arrogance and exclusivism back.

7. Credit Agencies–Two notes for you bottom feeders: 1) Neither Gwendolyn Jackson nor Sheila Nichols live at my house. So they cannot talk to you about whatever sum they owe you. 2) You can keep calling on behalf of ADT. We don’t owe them money. And we ain’t paying.

6. Joakim Noah. I don’t think I’ve rooted AGAINST an athlete this hard since Christian Laettner.

5. Check Writing. Seriously, who still uses these things? They are called Debit Cards. Quicker and easier. And you don’t have to write a check for a .72 cent purchase. And isn’t there something a little sad about writing a check for a lottery ticket?

4. Hewitt Cops–OK, so tickets are your sole source of revenue. I get that. You can’t be hired anywhere else unless you want to work the graveyard shift providing security for the local apartment complex. I understand. But, that doesn’t give you the right to prey on your citizens. And don’t tell me that ONE single street in town needs a 20 MPH speed limit when EVERY OTHER ONE IN THE AREA is 30 MPH. And don’t tell me because it’s near a school. There are 6 streets closer to the school and they are all 30. THE STINKING SCHOOL ZONE is 30 MPH for crying out loud. The only reason that one street is 20 is to prey on fine upstanding citizens who might drive a skoch too fast. Not that I know, mind you. I just hear people talking.

3. Game/Reality Show Suspense–Do you really need to drag out who is getting eliminated or opening the stupid briefcase? Just tell us! Look at the long-standing success of Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune. They don’t wait until they return from commercial break to see if the double jeopardy question is right or if the vowel is up on the board. You want to know why these shows have such a short shelf life? People get tired of waiting.

2. Spell-Check. Come on. If you know how to log onto a computer, you should be able to know how to proof your work.

1. Spam–It’s killing me. I installed a second filter yesterday and it says it has already blocked 460 attempts. I want to utilize mybloglog on my sidebar but, as you can see, it has already been spammed by cleo and litllolita. Do me a favor: don’t vote for Cleo. And stop spamming me. Please.

Last week I chronicled the contemporary worship tunes that I could do without. In the interest of equal time I thought I would share the recent tunes that have failed to grow old but have instead developed a timeless quality for various reasons.

10. Shout To The Lord–There is a reason this song is so popular: it just plain rawks. It is one of the more powerful worship songs building to a rollicking chorus that flows from the tongue. Oversang? You bet. But I still like it.

9. You Are My King (Amazing Love)–We are, because He is. A beautiful song that places the emphasis of our salvation upon the insatiable love of God. I’m accepted, not because of who I am, but because of His Amazing Love.

8. He Will Come and Save You–There are countless times in my life where I grow discouraged and faint-hearted. This song underscores the hope in the ever-present savior to restore me and replenish my zeal.

7. Here I Am To Worship–I love what I call “entrance songs.” These are hymns that are designed to usher the believer into the presence of God by setting the stage for worship and re-orienting our focus. My all-time favorite entrance song is Lord, We Come Before Thee Now. This is the contemporary counter-part for me.

6. I Will Change Your Name–I encounter so many people who, despite possessing faith, still feel as if they are somehow unworthy of God’s love. As if they don’t really matter and that God’s love is somewhat whimsical and conditional. This song perfectly captures the new identity that we have in Christ. Because I can’t shake the invitation, this is the perfect song for me to sing.

5. Blessed Be Your Name–The anti-prosperity gospel hymn. It acknowledges that God is good and worthy to be praised even when “there is pain in the offering.” Powerful.

4. Wonderful, Merciful Savior–Not really sure why, but I just can’t shake this song even though it’s been 5+ years since I last sang it in a group. The one line “you give the healing and grace our hearts always hunger for” is one of my favorites.

3. I Will Never Be The Same Again–In my last youth ministry we would sing this song after baptisms. It was a perfect way to celebrate the new creation that we are in Christ.

2. There Is A Redeemer–I’ve always loved the old Keith Green classic. But this past Christmas my daughters learned it for our Christmas program. There is nothing better than hearing my three year old belt out “thank you, o my Father.” She has perfected the tune.

1. In Christ Alone–The first time I heard this song I was running. I had just started and didn’t know if I could complete the distance I had planned to travel. I became so enraptured with the power and weight of this tune that I didn’t even notice that I had made it half a mile when the song was over. I’m still speechless every time i hear it. If only we could keep this in mind when we become so bogged down with doctrine and politics and all the other idols that we erect in the temples of our hearts. It’s all about Him.

What’s on your list? And hey, if you commented on your hated songs, you have to comment on this one too.

(Caveat: If you don’t want to read me or anyone else stating that they don’t like a song you do, then stop reading. And remember this is all in fun.)

I don’t miss much from my youth ministry days. When I transitioned in the pulpit it was time. However, I still miss the worship times with teenagers. I don’t experience worship very often like young hearts coming with their passion and recognition of their humanity into the throne room.

With that said there are some more contemporary songs that drive me up the wall. Alas, I’m in a traditional worship setting so there isn’t much of an incursion of new songs into my weekly worship experience. Therefore, my list will exist of ones that are a little more established but still have debuted among us in my lifetime.

First, two honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention 1–Humble Yourself: First off, I love this song. It’s one of my favorites because I view humility as such an intrinsic quality of a disciple. But in our songbook the last verse is “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun.” What? When what? If you are going to incorporate Amazing Grace into this song then at least have the decency to finish the stinking line.

Honorable Mention 2–Lord, I Lift Your Name On High: Another song I really like. I can do without the hand motions though. Do we really need to simulate digging a grave to get the point across?

Now the List:

10. Awesome God–I’m a huge Rich Mullins fan. I cried when we lost him so young. And singing the chorus is great. But you cannot tell me that the verses to this song were even intended to be sung in an a capella context. It just sounds bad.

9. There’s Something About That Name–Oh yeah? What might that be? A second verse of exposition might be in order here.

8. Victory Chant–I’ve sang this song for years, even led it on many occasions. But I’ve never liked it. What exactly are we conquering in His name here? Just curious.

7. Marvelous Things–Maybe, I’m jaded by first hearing this song by a singing group with the member who sang like Elmer Fudd. But, ultimately, songs that have each part singing different words can be beautiful. But not this time.

6. Celebrate Jesus–Yikes!

5. Blue Skies and Rainbows–Maybe it’s because I sang it at every age-specific event from the time I was 2 until I reached the age of 30, but I am so beyond sick of this song. And now my kids are learning it. Please, make it stop.

4. People Need The Lord–Yes, they do. But do we really need this song?

3. Glorify Thy Name–The fact that this song takes 15 minutes to sing essentially 6 words drives me bananas. Could we just reduce it down to one verse and “Godhead we love You?”

2. Get Right, Church–Is there truly any redeeming value to this song? The basic point is “I’m outta here first chance I get. Hope you can shape up in time to join me.”

1. Said I Wasn’t–Then don’t.

Again, all in fun. What songs would make your list

Don’t have time today to take on contemporary church songs. Here is something on a lark:

10. Atlantis
9. Jimmy Hoffa’s Body
8. Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
7. Who Else Is On “The List”
6. Britney Spears’ dignity
5. The Second Gunman
4. Natalee Holloway
3. D.B. Cooper
2. Any Way to Resurrect His Career
1. Those pesky “Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

What else should he be on the look-out for?

In the interest of equal time and to belie the perception that I can be too critical I thought I would share my favorite hymns to sing.
For the purpose of this list I will not mention contemporary hymns but ones that have been established for some time. It’s harder for me to pinpoint exactly why I like these songs so much, but I do.

10. Farther Along–Come on, if this song is sung right you just can’t help but tap your feet along with it. “Never molested, though in the wrong” is one of my favorite lines. It’s just fun to sing.

9. Just A Closer Walk With Thee–This song would not have made my list in years past until I heard my friend Michael McDermott perform it in concert. In recent years he has walked off stage during this song leaving the crowd to sing the chorus, a la U2 and “40.” But this is a song that captures the broken spirit pleading for greater intimacy with the Lord.

8. On Zion’s Glorious Summit–Beautiful apocalyptic imagery and a stirring sanctus always allow me to feel the timeless nature of community and church. It’s not just the corporeal with which I worship but the church eternal.

7. How Firm A Foundation–”That soul tho all hell should endeavor forsake, I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.” That line alone captures the relentless grace of the Hound of Heaven that we often dismiss. He is with us. We shall not be afraid.

6. Lord, We Come Before Thee Now–If I had my way this would be our opening song each week. Two elements stand out for me: my own inability to lead myself in verse 3 and the mission of the Kingdom to proclaim the year of Jubilee in verse 4.

5. My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less–I cannot place my hope, trust, faith or allegiance in any other. He is the constant.

4. Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing–With the real lyrics not the sanitized version some hymn books still have. Give me the melodious sonnet, the flaming tongues as I raise my Ebenezer. Again, we see the relentless pursuit of Christ seeking us out. He is the only source.

3. Is It For Me?–Such love, such grace, such tender and compassionate mercy. What song capture the incredulity of salvation such as this?

2. Be Thou My Vision–It is a felony that this hymn is not in our books. I love the Irish feel of this timeless hymn.

1. My Jesus, I Love Thee–This song just says it all for me. My gracious Redeemer. My Savior. If ever I loved thee…may it be now. There is no other hymn that captures my need, my heart and my desire to know more of Him. Not just because He is God. But because He is God.

What about you?