Posts by Jimi Williams
The Song of Lament
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Josh pointed out yesterday in the message that over 60% of the Psalms are laments, where the writer is crying out to God for help. There is a big discussion in the worship community around the idea of songs of laments. If so much of the Scripture is devoted to sorrow and tragedy, shouldn’t our songs represent that?
I say yes. We need songs that allow us to pour 0ur hearts out to the Lord. Yesterday, we sang the Casting Crowns song “Praise You In This Storm”. I was taken back by the outpouring of emotion from the congregation. The lyrics of the song had struck a chord with many souls that were hurting.
I know that churches are afraid of creating a “downer” atmosphere, but the reaction yesterday was just the opposite. Singing our hurt back to God brought joy and healing! For those who have experienced loss, discouragement, pain and confusion, these lyrics are not depressing, but life giving:
I was sure by now
God You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away
Stepped in and saved the day
But once again I’ll say Amen
And it’s still rainin’
As the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper
Through the rain
I’m with You
And as Your mercy falls
I’ll raise my hands
And praise the God who gives
And takes away
And I’ll praise You in this storm
And I will lift my hands
For You are who You are
No matter where I am
And ev’ry tear I’ve cried
You hold in Your hand
You never left my side
And though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm
Mark Hall & Bernie Herms (performed by Casting Crowns)
Every song of lament, like the Psalms, should have a redeeming element. It’s okay to pour our hearts out to God and even question his presence. But the healing comes when we confess that God is able and willing to step into our pain.
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge Church
It’s Okay to Laugh…
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We should never take ourselves too seriously. It’s okay to laugh at some of the stuff we do in church. I’m sure God is laughing along with us.
If you don’t follow the Stuff Christians Like blog. I highly recommend it. It’s a dose of levity when you get a little too serious about church. Enjoy!
Read MoreOne Common Goal
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Yesterday was an amazing day at the Bridge. Two adults confessed Christ as their Savior and crossed over from death to life! It was a powerful reminder to me of the most important goal for all of us as ministers. As a worship pastor, it is easy for me to begin thinking that my goal is to make great music, or to facilitate great times of worship. Those things are a big part of my role at the Bridge, but they are secondary to the first goal of authentic life change.
At the end of the day, we are not ministers of children, worship, students, adults, small groups or worship. We are ministers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All of our ministry activities must serve that end. When our priorities get off track, we begin to create a counterfeit gospel that consumes our energy and sucks the spiritual life out of us.
When the church embraces one common goal, it is a powerful force. As we sing on Sunday mornings, “And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?”
One church. One goal. One God.
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge Church
Sacred or Secular
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I’ve been thinking lately about the differences between things that are sacred and things that are secular. We Christians love to put things into neat little boxes. I think this somehow gives us a sense of security and assuredness that we are living our lives correctly.
With music, art or books we try especially hard to place each person’s creative work into the appropriate category. Of course, to do this we need rules – lots of rules. Here are some examples:
-If you sing about Jesus, then you are a ”Christian artist”
-If your book is sold in Lifeway, then you are a “Christian author”
-If your CD does not mention Jesus or God or isn’t performed by a “Christian artist” (see definition above), then it’s “secular” music
-If your art doesn’t include a cross, a depiction of Jesus or some other religious symbol, then it’s “secular”
-If you sing music on Sunday morning at church, you have a “sacred” job, but if you sing music on Friday night at a local pub, you have a “secular” job.
The problem with our rules is that they are based on our own ideas and therefore change over time. I remember 20 years ago all the outcry over drums in a worship service because “drums were secular and therefore of the devil”! I also remember the outcry against Jars of Clay when the song “Flood” crossed over and took off at mainstream radio and a bunch of unsaved people started coming to their shows. Oh no!
Psalm 24:1 says, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. The earth and all it’s people belong to him.”
If everything belongs to God, who are we to say what is not sacred? God says “I made that. It’s for my glory. Therefore it is sacred to me.” What if there was just one category and we viewed life as if everything was sacred? How would this affect the way I did business? Or the way I treated my lost neighbor? Or how I appreciated someone’s creative work.
For futher reading, check out this article from Dave Kahle: http://www.davekahle.com/sacred.html
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
Thoughts About Mission Trips
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I’ve been on several mission trips both domestically and internationally. Usually these trips include some type of service/helps project and some form of sharing the Gospel. If you google the benefits of short term missions, you’ll probably get mixed opinions on their effectiveness. Some believe that it’s better to take the money one would spend on travel and lodging expenses and just send that money to areas in need and allow local ministry leaders distribute, thus putting more dollars to work.
However, this approach eliminates what I believe to be one of the greatest benefits of mission trips: the work the Holy Spirit does in our hearts. I can write a check and send it off to a ministry organization, which is a good thing, but this is no comparison to being Jesus in the flesh to someone who has need – listening to their struggles, laying hands on them in prayer and putting sweat into helping their situation.
This weekend, many from the Bridge worked tirelessly at City Fellowship in Jackson, TN, an inner-city ministry. We painted walls, knocked down walls and put up new ones. I believe our work gave hope and encouragement to the church, but more than anything, it impacted my heart about serving one another in the body of Christ. When we give of our time to help our brothers and sisters, we bless the heart of God, and therefore He blesses us.
Mission trips should not replace generous giving, but they should be a part of a healthy Christian life.
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