Looking Forward Thru the Rear View Mirror!

The classical past of our Christian heritage is rich and encouraging. It adds value to today and gives reminders of the flaws of our faith (thinking of Martin Luther's passion to reform the church, which was a great thing!).
But if driving the church were like driving a car, many could not see into the future for the huge rear view mirror that covers the windshield. Too often the church chooses to look only to the past in order to head into the future.
Rear view mirrors are helpful; they allow us to see where we've been and prevent dangers from sneaking up behind us, but they are not meant as a guide to drive forward. Rear view mirrors are a tool for glancing backward, not advancing forward.
There is also another interesting flaw in focusing too heavily on the rear view mirror. The closer you get to the rear view mirror, the more you can only see yourself, so that even the past becomes distorted. Classical churchanity followers tend to get too close to the rear view mirror, so much so, that they have a hard time seeing the world around them because their own face gets in the way; no one else matters, nothing else matters; only their attempt to hold on to yesteryear.
Show me a person who drives by keeping his or her focus on the rear view mirror, and I will show you a pile up on the highway.
Let's keep the past alive, while keeping ourselves alive as well. In order to do that, we must remember the values of the past and where we've come from by glancing occasionally through the rear view mirror, as we continue to advance forward into the wide open world of the future. Christ transcends all time and cultures; the Body of Christ must do the same.

Praise Song or Hymn?

I wonder if you and I were to sing the same 16 words over and over again, night and day after night and day forever, if God would think our song was shallow and unworthy of His ears or would he prefer something more along the lines of a hymn or Psalm?

Well let's ask King David and the other authors of the Psalms, then let's ask the four living creatures spoken of in John's Revelation, chapter 4.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8 (NIV)

Now I ask, "Is that a hymn that is spoken over and over or is it a Praise and Worship chorus?" Hmmm. It's worth looking into, especially since the difference seems so important to modern Christians and we're going to have to listen to those same sixteen words over and over again, night and day after night and day, because as the Word says, "They never stop!"

Some may argue, "The four living creatures are not singing, therefore it's not a song; John doesn't mention anything about singing!"
Maybe Praise and Worship should be spoken over and over again and only hymns should be accompanied by music.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to give the Lord a gift I'll be glad to carry it to Him with you. I hope you'll do the same with me, because, quite frankly, I don't care if you like it or not; my song is for the Master, not the congregation.

Sleep well. Don't forget to say your prayers, and sing a hymn or a Praise and Worship chorus.
God will love whatever gift you offer.