First, there are lyrics people. They love a song for what it means. They remember every word and typically it is the power of the words which grabs them. They may enjoy the melody or the rhythm but what truly makes them fall in love with a song is the power of the lyrics.
Second, there are the rhythm people. If it feels good and makes them want to move they love it. The words are an accessory to an already wonderful song. It could be jazz, swing, hip hop, disco, rock... it really doesn't matter. If it feels good, they love it.
Lastly, there are the freak few who have an unusual mix of the two. They love a song for both how it moves them physiologically and emotionally. The rhythm and the lyrics are two parts to the beautiful masterpiece which is a good song.
I am a classic number two with a dose of number one. I usually fall in love with how a song feels long before I know more than two of the words. I am married to an over the top number three. She loves both and remembers both. My carelessness with lyrics can often cause frustration in our home. If the word fits the phrase who cares if it is the right word or not. Noose and Loose are so similar I can hardly imagine the difference impacting a song.
For example I woke up this morning with Lionel Richie's early 80's hit single "Hello" going through my brain. The problem I run into with most songs in my head is that being a number two (rhythms guy) I only need a couple words to keep me happy. So when I sing a song around the house, it is usually the same line, over and over and over. I will sing what I know and let the song die out. Then without even thinking about it I will sing the same line again. My poor wife has to bring it to my attention and often try to introduce a new song to override the one stuck in rotation.
I have found that I enjoy taking that one line and changing it up significantly. Using the basics of the song and the one line I remember, I mix up the tempo, the groove and the overall feel to make what seems like a new song. I can do this all day long. I might even throw in some dance moves if I am in the kitchen with socks on.
I don't really care. This has never bothered me one bit.
Until this past Sunday.
My friend Jeremiah mentioned the word innovation, and again my heart leapt. Like John in the womb when he was close to Jesus in the womb. Something in me knows when I am close to Jesus. Although, not walking perfectly with him. Yet.
I have a dream in my heart which Jesus gave me almost ten years ago. A sense deep within my guts that I am called to lead a type of church which at its core is different than anything I have experienced. This is a huge challenge and I find myself spending more and more time asking Jesus what this means. What it looks like. And how to explain that to people with such passion and clarity that nothing will stand in the way.
Just like the way I love to mix up an old song to make it feel new, I tend to mix up old methods in the church in an effort to make them feel new. The thing is, copyativity can feel a lot like creativity when it is something new to you. When we create nothing and only copy I believe we miss part of the Imago Dei. We were created by a creator who has demonstrated absolute creativity. I am praying, asking, even begging for a spoonful of creative capacity to reach a new type of people with methods untested and not yet proven.
We can do all the old stuff better than we used to, or we can try something new.
Brand New.
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