Three chapters from the Old Testament.

Small bit of commentary on these chapters.

And three pages from Augustine’s City of God.

That’s what my early morning routine looks like.

What does your morning routine look like? Please share. I’m curious.

Why Did I Change My Routine?

Anyone who’s been around Fallen and Flawed for a while knows I’m a big fan of the right-brain thinker’s guide to Bible study.

But to be frank, after two years of that routine (which basically amounted to reading the same eight chapters from the New Testament for 30 days straight) I hit a point where the monotony got to me.

I needed to break the mold and do something differently.

So, to start the year off fresh, the first thing I did was read the New Testament straight through in January.

Then I figured out how many chapters I need to read a day so I can finish the Old Testament in a year.

I did the same thing with City of God. And that’s where I’m at now.

Where I Got This Idea

I borrowed the idea of reading a church father from William Lane Craig who’s been working through the ante-Nicene fathers every morning for the past decade.

It’s amazing how much ground you can cover if you commit to doing just a little a day.

So what about you: What’s your morning routine look like? What devotions are you using? Praying through the newspaper? Reading the Intellectual Devotional?

Furthermore, how do you do it: In your favorite chair? Lying on your stomach on the floor [my favorite]? Outside on the patio? In bed and beneath your covers?

By the way, I’m successful about four out seven days. The other three days I’m scrambling before bed time or using a Saturday to catch up. How successful are you? Got any tricks that keep you on track for your morning routine?

Let me know. Curious to see your habits!

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Yesterday I spent an enormous amount of time with my family at Six Flags St. Louis.

A notable event for someone who doesn’t like amusement parks, roller coasters or water parks.

Yes, I can be a fuss bucket and a sourpuss and my idea of fun is an afternoon spent reading.

But the fact that I actually had fun is news worthy.

In fact, I found myself engaged on a conquest with my son and daughter and wife to ride all the water rides.

At 90 degrees, it was a hot day, so this conquest makes sense. But I hardly wrote this blog post to tell you about my mini-vacation.

The Real Reason Behind This Post

Anyone who’s been to Six Flags–or any large amusement park–knows one thing:

You wait. A lot.

Naturally, for a writer, waiting involves thinking and observing [as opposed to talking], so I found myself in awe of the the complex architecture behind rides like Evil Knievel, Mr. Freeze and the family raft ride known as the Big Kahuna.

In most cases, we’re talking 200 foot plus high platforms built out of steel and wood. We’re talking countless engineers, surveyors and project managers involved. Countless welders and carpenters. A year or two of contstruction. Months of renovation. Days of maintenance.

And all of this money, time and energy is focused on one thing…

Our amusement.

That’s right. Amusement parks are the world’s solution to the problem of our boredom, excess cash and the heartache that is our marriage, job or life.

The Chronic Problem with Amusement Parks

Unfortunately, our taste for amusement exceeds our ability to satsify it. So in the race to attract more attention and foot traffic, amusement parks are on the never-ending drive to build the tallest or fastest roller coaster.

You can always go one foot higher. One mile faster. One turn farther. Until you hit the absurd.

So let me shift gears and ask you a question: Can you see the problem this would cause inside a church?

The Easter drama must exceed last year’s. The worship songs must sound better than last month’s. The sermon must engage more people than last Sunday.

Thus, when we treat church as a place to entertain, distract and amuse, you eventually hit the point of diminishing returns, and people walk away, bored, frustrated and annoyed.

Here’s My Point

If worship songs, sermons and religious celebrations are boring, the answer isn’t to go the way the world goes. The answer is three-fold:

• Sing a clear, graceful song about the content of our faith.

• Preach a clear, graceful gospel in the pulpit.

• And celebrate Good Friday, Easter or Christmas by drawing a thick, black line back to the origins of those celebrations: Jesus Christ.

Not that you can’t enjoy a good Easter drama at your church or the best Christian rock band in the region.

Just don’t make it the solution you are offering the world. Make it the gospel that opens eyes, exposes sin and raises the dead. In worship. In sermon. And in celebration.

Make it architecture of amazing grace rather than architecture of amusement.

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So here we are, folks. Ringside to the first ever brawl between worship songs.

In one corner we have a popular, contemporary song written by a handsome young Texan…

And in the other, a 300-year-old, rigid contender from a dead Englishman.

Know this: Both these songs are favorites of mine.

In fact, the contemporary tune is by far my favorite of this generation.

However, it’s problematic.

How? It’s symbolic of the sensual-seeking, emotion-raising trend of current worship songs.

In other words…it’s shallow in theology. Soft on Scripture.

Why is this an issue?

I’m not against engaging the emotions. I’m a card-carrying Methodist. The founder of my denomination–John Wesley–emphasized emotions.

But neither did he ignore the mind.

Paul didn’t ignore the mind either. In fact, he insisted you MUST engage it.  First Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”

Peter felt the same way:

This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

From the very beginning, Christians asserted we understand our faith. Not just feel it. And Christians have always used hymns as mechanisms to carry forth the doctrines of their faith.

And finally, Tomlin’s song is problematic because, as Professor Stackhouse puts it:

We are the most educated Christians in history, and yet our lyrics are considerably stupider than our much less educated Christian forebears–the people who sang lyrics by Fanny Crosby or Charles Wesley or Isaac Watts.

In other words, we are amusing ourselves to death. Entertainment trumps intelligence. Repetition supersedes thoughtful rhyme. Emotions supplant reason.

Unmasking the Tunes

If you haven’t guessed yet, the modern song I’m referring to is Chris Tomlin’s “God of Wonders.”

I like the song. Love it, in fact. It’s catchy. Arousing. Stimulating. But so is “I Wanna Be Sedated“ by The Ramones.

You can’t get either song out of your head. But neither song engages the mind. Both lyrics manage to be fragmented thoughts and bad metaphors strung together.

Let me ask you a question: When we’re more likely to remember what we sing in church rather than the sermon, don’t you think it’s important that these songs bear meaningful, thought-provoking, Christ-exalting lyrics?

I do.

So, what song is it that I believe soundly trounces “God of Wonders”? I’ve pretty much given the answer away…

Got it? Yep, the song is none other than “O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley.

This is serious craft from a serious poet. Who’s bent on honoring Christ. Explaining doctrine. Putting content to our faith.

For example, Wesley explains the doctrine of atonement in stanza nine:

He breaks the power of canceled sin / He sets the prisoner free.
His blood can make the foulest clean / His blood availed for me.

I’d give an arm–maybe a leg–for songwriters to crank out concrete, functional lyrics rooted in Scripture like that.

What about you?

I know David Crowder remade this song. But I’d love to hear Page CXVI do it. Anyone know how to make that happen? Did they make it happen?

I look forward to your thoughts.

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