Greater Than What Divides

This week I hosted a get together for a bunch of church AV techs in the area.  We are all part of a big Facebook group for church sound and media techs around the world, but we get together occasionally at a local church to have fun and get to know each other.  We have people from mega-churches and from small churches, volunteers and paid professionals.  Our backgrounds are different, our churches are different, and our opinions are different, but I've discovered that our similarities are far greater than our differences.

As we get to know one another, we discover that the issues we face are all the same.  We all have failing equipment and diminishing budgets.  We all have grand visions and less-than-grand resources.  We all have a heart that strives to give excellence to our God who is worthy of the best. 

When we really get to know each other, we often discover that we are more alike than we are different.  That doesn't mean the differences don't matter, but it does mean that our differences don't have to divide us.  When we choose to build on our similarities and see issues from a different perspective, we can discover new ideas and new relationships.

I have gained support and encouragement from others who understand the struggle.  I have learned from others’ mistakes and have shared my own.  I have learned more about my faith by talking with others who believe differently.

There is much to be gained from others if we will take the time to get to know them.  There is a real beauty in our diversity.  God never intended for His church to be all hands or all arms; we are a diverse body of different parts that all work together for a common goal.

Chad Hess

A Last Day Message With No Last Day Music: The Great Musical Disappointment of the SDA General Conference Session of 2015

I recently tried to look up what song writing events might be available for the upcoming world church gathering of Seventh-day Adventists in Houston in 2015. Upon finding nothing I wrote to a very nice gentleman for some more information, the response is as follows:

Dear (Name Withheld),

Could you please tell me what music writing events for the church are being organized for the 2015 G.C. session? I don’t see anything on the website but find it difficult to believe that our church is not encouraging any type of new songwriting for the body of faith at large.

In Christ,

Richard Hickam

The response:

Brother Hickam,

I regret to inform you that I have not been informed of any music writing events that have been organized for the 2015 GC Session.  I am copying my response to you to our GC Session Music Coordinator, (Name Withheld), so that he can respond to you in the event that I have overlooked the detail to which you are referring.  I thank you, at any rate, for your interest in our Growth and Development.  Blessings to you and Yours!

As of this date, (months later) I have heard no response and that’s sad but okay; I will grow where I am planted.

There is the old story of Isaac Watts complaining to his father about the quality of songs and singing in the church of his day. Watts’ father, growing tired of listening to his son’s whining challenged him to do something about it.

We have the blessing today of celebrating with the scores of generations before us great songs of faith that have inspired through the centuries, but what about today’s struggles and victories? Who is writing those songs? Who is writing those songs in the language of the church in 2014? Hillsong United? Chris Tomlin? Anyone in our denomination?

We have a number of talented musicians in our local church with varying degrees of musicality. As a former music educator by trade I thought, if I can get them all in the same room together, cast a vision with a timeline and a destination, we could do some great things together. I could help with some music fundamentals and pairing the lyricists with the tune writers. We are a little ways into our journey, and it’s been fascinating. Here are a few comments from some of our musicians regarding this process:

“It’s good for a church to sing songs that are being written within the church, while having a universal application it has a certain resonance in the local congregation.”

“We are the new generation; we are adding to the collective history of the saints.”

“I have learned organizational skills, how my thoughts work, and about the process to create something new.”

“After I pray, I feel like God is speaking back to me. I write the words down and then comes the difficult part of finding the right music.”

“It is a process, a long process with many layers—the words, the music, the arrangement, the instruments, the recording.”

“I felt like I had a gift, and now I have a purpose to use it for God’s glory.”

We’ll keep you posted about our continuing journey . . . and also about some new songs!

Richard Hickam 

and the songwriting team at the Florida Hospital Church

Parent or Paycheck

I heard a really great interview on NPR about fathers who are breaking down stereotypes of men who are not involved in their children's life.  There is the old stereotype that fathers are not very involved, particularly when they are not married.  Instead, more and more men want to be "parents and not just paychecks."  It should not be unusual to see a dad getting the kids ready or watching the kids while mom goes out with friends.

For me, this comes down to the ever-familiar work/life balancing act.  Most Christians would agree that our top three priorities (in order) are God, family, and then work.  But making that a reality can be much more challenging.  Working to earn money to feed your family typically requires time away from them.  Being involved in ministry can take time away from your family.  When your job is working in a church, those lines can get blurred even more.  Balance and boundaries are essential, and they will look different for each person.

I may be exhausted when I get home from work, but a cheerful greeting and hug from my boys gives me a boost.  I know I only have a couple of hours until they go to bed, so I try to have meaningful time with them while I can.  It may be a rare occasion when I sit with my family in church; but once we leave church, my focus is on them.

I don't write this to "toot my own horn."  I am not perfect, nor do I believe that wanting to be involved in my kids' life makes me an extraordinary father.  That is the job of a father.  God entrusted them to me and asks me to care for them.  Loving them has taught me more about my Heavenly Father and the love he has for me.  With His help, I pray that I can love and parent my children into a lifelong friendship with their Heavenly Father.

Chad Hess

Talent & Practice by Richard Hickam

I have had a number of discussions with parents lately about getting their child to practice, so I thought I’d write a blog this week on talent and the art of practicing:

I often get told how talented I am and asked “just how many instruments do you play?” People have this idea that I came out of the womb with a guitar in one hand and a saxophone in the other, playing a lovely duet to my mother from birth. The truth of the matter is that every single detail of my musical life has come from practicing. I am borderline obsessed with practicing different instruments all the time.

Lately, I have been reading a great book by Daniel Coyle entitled 52 Tips For Improving Your Skills. The book is filled with clever, quick tips that seem part Stephen Covey and part Stephen Colbert. Mr. Coyle analyzed hot beds of talent throughout the world and looked at common traits from a variety of fields. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Stare at who you want to become - Covey’s keep-the-end-in-mind is a rationale that works to keep the ship heading to its destination.

2.  Spend 15 minutes a day engraving a skill on your brain - If you can spend 15 minutes for 30 consecutive days on a specific small task, you’re on to great things!

3. Steal without apology - The year is 2014; learn from the past . . . from everyone.

4. Buy a notebook- Keep a record of what you are doing . . . in detail.

5. Be willing to be stupid - Taking chances is the only way that great things happen.

As you can tell, it’s a great book that I would highly recommend for yourself or others on the conquest of developing a skill. A few other suggestions that I’ve garnered from my years of teaching:

* Play in a group - Individual practicing only goes so far.  Playing music with friends is one of the greatest conversations in the world.

* Find another adult to encourage your child - Receiving outside encouragement is like compound interest on an investment.

* Having a child-friendly teacher is wonderful, but make sure it’s not all fun and games and that good, sequential learning is taking place. Sometimes honesty is a difficult and necessary companion to growth.

* Perhaps the single biggest component to practicing is taking the time to practice slowly. Most young people love to play fast through everything. If you can isolate a problem and play it 10x correctly, you will be ahead of the game.

What does this have to do with spirituality? Well, think of these tips in regards to Bible study, or memorization, or your prayer life. The art of practicing has many applications.  I challenge you to pick up some of these tips and put them into practice today!

Richard Hickam