Imagine this… You have grown up as a White American in the suburbs of a mid-size city in the Midwest. You have never traveled. God (via your company) then moves you to a country where hardly any English is spoken… let’s say somewhere in India.

Everything is different there from the way people wash their clothes to the way people drive. You feel overwhelmed by the new culture and language but you are slowly starting to get the hang of it.

You are able to find a solid church where the Pastor speaks Hindi slow enough for you to understand. You even begin to learn some worship songs in Hindi. But what would happen to your heart if you heard their music leader suddenly burst into Great is Thy Faithfulness, or How Great is Our God in English?

Even if their pronunciation wasn’t that good, wouldn’t you feel relief to be able to sing to God in a language where you don’t have to think of the whole sentence before you can even begin to say it? Wouldn’t you feel loved by the church that was stepping out of their comfort zone to allow you to worship in your heart language? If you were that American person would say it was worth it for them to learn that song or chorus for you?

What about here in the States? Do you think it’s worth it to learn a chorus in Korean even if there’s only one man there who speaks it? What if you and Spanish are mortal enemies but an immigrant family who doesn’t speak much English starts attending your congregation?

I don’t want you to misunderstand me. I believe that people, when living in a culture outside their own, should make an effort to learn the language and customs of that place to operate there but not at the expense of losing their own.

It honors God when we consider others more than ourselves. Do you think it’s worth it?

We ministered there from Monday to Friday and saw the Lord move in some tremendous ways! We made many new friends and even reconnected with some old ones. One couple that came with us caught up with some friends they met years earlier while serving in Chile. We also met someone who is from the town where many of the Proskuneo Staff live.

The Lord was faithful to not only teach and reveal Himself to the missionaries but also to us. Before this trip I had never taught scripture before, nor had I ever shared my testimony bilingually.  I did both last week.

It was truly a humbling experience to have to fully rely on God to speak through me but the sweet thing was that He came through. I might have stumbled a little but I believe that, in His power, His Word went forth.

We saw the Lord breakthrough in many peoples’ lives and were glad to rejoice with the Body as we celebrated His goodness.

We also had a chance to have a little fun. Our last day there we drove up to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens. It is located in the mountains and has a definite rainforest feel. There were all kinds of exotic animals from toucans to jaguars. We had a great time visiting the waterfalls and even singing praises to God during a downpour.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as we continue to seek to follow the Lord wherever He leads us.

See pictures from our trip to Costa Rica

At PWI there is also a true sense of community. From what I’ve seen people really like to be around one another. I’ve noticed that when people from PWI go somewhere they are usually the last to leave because they are talking to each other.

There is also time and space for God to work on people’s hearts. God is breaking through to students, calling them closer to Him and affirming who He has made them to be. And not only is God working in the students’ hearts but also the teachers’ and volunteers’.

I remarked to someone yesterday that I believe the ministry and teaching at PWI will yield results for years to come. We are grateful for your continued prayers as we seek to train worshipers and artists for the glory of God.

View photos from PWI

Stayed tuned for more updates from PWI!

Let me propose another idea. What if older songs are like wine, and they get better with age? What if there was more depth to be found in worship by singing in not only diverse styles but also diverse ages of songs.

Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying we should get drunk on the hymns of old, but neither should we disregard them as antiquated relics relegated to be sung, out of compulsion, on Christmas Eve.

I am also not suggesting we ignore the commands in scripture to sing a new song. God calls us to live in a healthy tension.

I believe that one of the main keys to unity in worship and in the Body is to realize it is not about us. Our needs, our preferences, our desires should take a backseat to those of others. Paul, in Philippians 2:3, says to consider others better than yourself. Doesn’t that apply to every area of life including worship?

OK, so you may say that preaches well and good but how can you live this out real life? Let me give you a couple examples:

-If you exclusively sing choruses, search out some hymns that lyrically connect with your congregation and add 2 or so to your worship rotation. Many hymns are theologically rich and glorify God in different ways than a chorus.
-Create new music and melody to the lyrics of a hymn. Highstreethymns has done a great job with this approach. Check them out.

In John 17 Jesus prays that His Church would be one so the world would know He was the Son of God.
Let’s call a cease-fire in this war and sign the convention of serving others above ourselves. Let’s give God the glory in our worship and use all the tools He’s given us to do so.

Have you experienced this battle? Have you found any good ways to make peace?

We had a bilingual service bringing together multiple Spanish-speaking congregations and a couple English-speaking congregations for a time of worship. And what a time of worship it was. The people there were ready to praise our God, and that was such a blessing to me.

Our team was also mixed with people from different churches and languages. It was so fun to see everyone work together in spite of language barriers and without knowing one another.

One of the high points of that Sunday night event was when we sang a two-song medley about the holiness of God. During Holy, Holy, Holy (posted below) everyone burst into spontaneous applause for out Maker.

That blessed me (and I’m sure it blessed Him), and was a true example of how different people can come together and worship God. We may have differences but in Him we are one.

Before you all start condemning me as being biased and small-minded let me give you some background. I believe strongly in excellence in art. I also believe that we as Christians should be the most creative people.

Have we not seen the beauty of the Messiah? Does He not live within us? We have seen and known the greatest Truth. Should that knowledge not inspire the sweetest songs, the most vivid paintings or the most compelling performances? I think it should.

Ok, let me step down off my soapbox and tell you about the movie… I thought that it was awesome! It was emotional, it was dramatic, and it was fun. The direction seemed well thought out and the screenplay kept my mind engaged. There were times when I could even feel the emotion of the characters.

It dealt well with sensitive issues such as racism and hatred. For me the premise of the movie boiled down to loving the unlovely.  The film portrays the reality that it is much easier to love those that are like us than those who are different from or who have hurt us.  It calls us to extend the grace that was extended to us.

It also did my heart good, as an advocate of multicultural worship and church, to see a multicultural church on screen.

With so many good things to be said about this project the one downside for me was the acting. There were places where it left a little something to be desired. I am willing to forgive this though, because many of the actors had little or no previous training.

Overall I think this was a great picture. My hat goes off to the producer whose brainchild this movie was. A job well done! I think you should check out The Grace Card and ask yourself, “Can Christian movies be good?” Opening night is February 25.

What do you think about excellence in Christian arts? Is it something you have thought about?

I am realizing that many times when I have thought about God interacting with other cultures and people I would subconsciously think He spoke in English (maybe sounding like Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones) and then somehow interpreted Himself to them.

This shows me how ethnocentric I am without even realizing it. How silly of me to think God speaks primarily in English, when He has intimate understanding of every language, better than the most native of speaker. English hasn’t even been around two thousand years. How could I claim to understand how God communicates with others when I so often miss what He communicates to me?

The bible tells us that in the Kingdom of God, English speakers will have no more prominence than anyone else. In fact God has revealed to us that in Heaven there will be people from every language gathered around the Throne. This means we all have even standing in His family when it comes to language. And they are all equally important.

God is the author of language and it brings Him glory. Just think of how many ways mercy or grace could be described in the myriad of languages and cultures in existence. This multiplies the glory God receives. It’s reflected in the heart languages of the people He created.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not knocking English. I happen to like it very much. I use it everyday. But we’re treading dangerous waters when we start to think (consciously or not) that our language (or anything else for that matter) is superior to others.  Ask God to give you His perspective. Make it your goal to honor Him with what He has given you.

Have you experienced this? What makes this so difficult?

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In 2011, the focus of Proskuneo is changing significantly and we are thrilled! Our mission has been and will continue to be to “bring nations together in worship.” However, for years, we have taken a shotgun approach to ministry, scattering the vision of multicultural worship broadly. In 2011, we are taking more of a laser approach, focusing our efforts on the community of Clarkston, Georgia. In Clarkston, over 60 languages are spoken in a 1.5 mile radius! Because of this shift in ministry focus, we will continue to travel, but on a more limited basis.

Lord willing, Josh’s family is moving into Clarkston in 2011! Their desire is to daily live out the vision of nations and cultures coming together for God’s glory. For more info on their experience and how you might get involved, visit: www.nationstogether.blogspot.com Also, on their blog is a great video that helps capture more of what we sense God is doing in moving us to Clarkston!

What might it look like if the Body of Christ in Clarkston were to come together across denominational, cultural, generational, and socio-economic barriers? What effect might that have on the community and the watching world? How might God’s heart be blessed? Find out with us as we step into 2011 together…

You might ask yourself, “Are these differences of opinion irreconcilable?” NO, they most certainly aren’t!
In the Body of Christ we are called to, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Phil 2:3-4

Jesus prayed for the unity of His Body in John 17. This needs to be something we are about as His followers. Jesus didn’t pray only for the Baptists and Methodists to get together, or for the black and white American believers but for His WHOLE Body.

We need to die to our own desires and consider those of our brothers and sisters. Isn’t that what Jesus did? The God of the universe stooped down to us and not only gave up His desires, but His life.

In our unity, Jesus says, the world will see Him as the Messiah. When He said this he knew his followers wouldn’t all be the same. God created beautiful diversity and, through Jesus, gave us ultimate unity. Though His Body is different colors, we all bleed red.

What are some barriers that keep you from preserving the unity of His Body? Do you find it hard to consider other’s needs above your own? Why?