THE CALLING

"... praise Him [God] with stringed instruments and organs [pipe]."  (Ps. 150:4) KJV

"There's no place else on the face of the earth

where one human being can sit at an instrument

and have this much tonal spread

and this much power."

                                                          -- Virgil Fox

WE GIVE THANKS FOR ORGAN MUSIC

MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH YOU,

THE ORGANIST

Those who begin digesting their way through the information supplied on this platform may wonder about the space they find devoted to explaining the pastoral dimensions of being an organist and what audible organ playing has to do with the salvation of man.  On first thought it may seem that the mechanics of working the machine and being a musician are disparate artistic disciplines having only an indirect, if any, connection with soul-saving. 

That.  Idea.  Is.  Utterly.  False.

Faith comes by HEARING (Rom. 10:17).

Something a person HEARS

causes their faith to rise.

BUT ...

SALVATION

[BEING SAVED BY THE NAME, PERSON, WORK, LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND GRACE

OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE]

is not of ourselves,

but the gift of God (Eph. 2:8).

The organist's CALLING

in Christian worship

has nothing to do with entertainment.

[nor is it to usurp the Holy Spirit's job

in drawing people to Christ (John 6:44)].

It's to use the instrument four ways,

as a means of

1.  expressing the joy of that gift,

2.  offering praise to God for it,

3.  teaching its message, and

4.  feeding and strengthening faith.

THAT'S.   IT.

Organists who perform for worship,

besides being volunteers

and/or employees on the weekly payroll,

are ministers

and ambassadors for the instrument

who use all the wonders of music

to reach out, through the body of Christ,

to the walking wounded of this world

and empower them with the gospel.

There is much, very much that religious authorities and the general public do not know, understand, or even care to understand about developing and maintaining a thriving sacred music program in a worship institution.

This platform is not the place, nor is there room on this page, to essay this subject sufficiently and fairly save for saying that clergy persons and boards of directors, while they may be the musician's boss, generally know very little if anything about what's needed or how to DO the job.

Authority does not automatically imply knowledge.

 The ubiquitous "hands off" policy is a case in point.  Obviously, true musical instruments are not toys and are meant to be played, not played with.  Their whole purpose for existence however is to be heard, and thus used.  In the case of pipe organs in the churches, due to the size and complexity of their mechanism, perishable materials (primarily leather), and regular need for wind (to remove built-up humidity in wind trunks), are almost never in absolute, fully-functioning condition, not 100 per cent of the time.  They actually enter faster into a state of disrepair when they're fanatically guarded from visiting hands and feet and/or seldom if ever played, this despite the fact that, the more the organ can be turned on and used, the more it benefits the instrument.  Even electronic organs suffer from lack of use.  Anyone seriously interested, and young people in particular, should be introduced to the organ as early as possible and allowed to play it a little (under appropriate supervision, of course) rather than strictly denied.  Access is essential, and denying it means a slow death both to the instrument and to the life of the church.  The same applies to any other musical instrument the church may own.  A reliable source and highly talented pianist has reported that the administration at a certain "church" will not let any outsiders play its 9-foot concert grand piano no matter how proficient they are unless they have a degree in music and are on the "faculty" of some school.  Those in charge at such a horrible place, frankly, are not running a fellowship of joy; whatever it is they're running it can be expected, inevitably in due time, to perish with them,

buried in its own debris.     

The contributions organists are called to make

in filling the air with soaring beauty and majesty

in worship spaces where they exercise their art

play a critically important role in communicating

God's plan for man through Christ Jesus 

prophetically revealed in the Old Testament

as early as Genesis 3:15 and even more explicitly 

in the generations of Adam

recorded in Genesis 5:

Adam [in the Hebrew language] -- means man,

Seth -- means appointed,

Enos -- means mortal, frail, miserable,

Mahalaleel -- means blessed God,

Jared -- means shall come down,

Enoch -- means teaching,

Methuselah -- means his death shall bring,

Lamech -- means despairing,

Noah -- means rest, comfort.

When you put it all together it says,

"Man is appointed mortal, frail, miserable, but the blessed God shall come down teaching, and His death shall bring the despairing rest and comfort."

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS

TO PRESS THE KEYS OF AN ORGAN IN WORSHIP.

IT MEANS EXPRESSING JOY, OFFERING PRAISE,

TEACHING SALVATION, AND FEEDING FAITH.

It also means something else

which no church musician is able to escape or deny ...

ALL WHO ASPIRE TO DO THIS

ARE ABOUT TO BE INVOLVED

IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE.

THE COVERT AGENCY

THAT FANS THE FLAMES OF HATRED AND PREJUDICE

AND FUELS THE APPALLING WICKEDNESS

AND DEPRAVITY OF THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD

IS NOT IMAGINARY.

HE IS NOT FICTITIOUS.

HE IS NOT SOME NEBULOUS CONCEPT.

HE IS A REAL ANGELIC BEING

of malevolent intent

WHO HATES GOD, CHRIST, and MAN.

WHEN HE SAW AN OPENING HE SPOKE DIRECTLY TO,

QUESTIONED THE AUTHORITY OF, TRIED TO TEMPT,

AND THEN, WHEN NONE OF THAT WORKED,

HE HAD THE LOW DOWN GALL

TO OFFER A DEAL TO, THE SON OF GOD (Matt. 4:1-11).

THE FALSE FABRICATIONS

AND CONCOCTIONS OF MAN

DO NOT COMMUNICATE IN REAL TIME LIKE THIS.

By the very Word and authority of the Lord Jesus

THE BIBLE EXPOSES this fallen angel

as the father of lies

and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44).

Anyone who loves God cannot also embrace this present evil world or the things in it (1John 2:15-16).  Once God created the earth He chose the angelic cherub Lucifer [meaning "light bringer'] once stationed at God's throne to sit on the throne of the earth and govern it.  Lucifer was trusted and invested with the unique ability to broadcast through the air to the minds of other sentient beings his own attitudes being based, at the time, upon God's laws of life and good.  Lucifer thus started out perfect in his ways when given charge of the earth until pride in his own beauty caused something to go terribly wrong with his thinking (Isa. 14:12-14).  He became jealous of God's preeminence, traded favors to some of the other angels in exchange for allegiance to himself, and used them to lead a rebellion into heaven against His Creator, but to no avail; he miscalculated the awesome power of God's Spirit and was slammed back to the earth like lightning (Luke 10:18).  He thus made himself into a satan [meaning "adversary, accuser"] through his traitorous actions.  For the time being he continues to encircle this earth and rule it (John 14:30, 2Cor. 4:4, Gal. 1:4), holding no direct power or control over man save for what man yields to him by unbelief.  Knowing that he and all the angels under his sway are fallen creatures subject to God's justice, sentencing, and punishment, and realizing that he's been outsmarted by the mystery of grace kept hidden from the foundation of the world, his hatred for the three Persons in the Godhead is implacable, incurable, and beyond human imagination or description.  He automatically hates any human being in whose heart the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, dwells.  He bitterly loathes this speck of dust called a human because, with Christ indwelling, that same human soul is destined to spend eternity with the God of heaven where he, Satan, originally came from, once upon a time.  Knowing that God will not trespass upon man's free will, Satan the devil works nonstop to distort the truth and project error into human societies by any means he can.  He promotes the religion of self-hatred under a guise of leftism encouraging whites to hate their race, boys to hate their gender, women to hate their femininity, and westerners to hate their country.  He works overtime to beguile gullible human beings into spending their time, attention, and resources on anything but God. 

NOTE:  Satan, the insidious god of this world who blinds the minds of unbelievers (2Cor. 4:4), goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1Pet. 5:8).  It takes a powerful being to deceive a whole world full of people (Rev. 12:9), and yet, the only power he has over man is what man yields to him by unbelief.  In the angelic world he goes about accusing man before God day and night (Rev. 12:10) while ignoring or denying ever doing anything misleading or misguiding himself in the face of an avalanche of proof to the contrary.  He instigates discontent among men, continues to act in ways that fail to match his words, uses what's near and dear to the individual as ammunition, and relies upon positive reinforcement to wear people down over time.  He also uses projection, attributing his own nefarious character and godless attitudes to anyone or anything he can to externalize his own guilt and responsibility.  With relentless vigor he repeatedly targets the human race to get people to question not only biblical truths but to doubting and mistrusting everything, to weaken them through confusion to where, under this constant artillery barrage of uncertainty and disbelief, any former methodization and ordering in their thinking is partially if not fully steam-rollered out of existence.   

This is called Gaslighting

[so-named after the movie "Gaslight" (1944) starring Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer which portrays manipulation and abuse within a marriage].

This devilish tactic of constantly promoting the lie isn't so much aimed at making people believe a specific untruth so much as ensuring that no one believes anything any more.  Satan knows that a people who mistrust everything can no longer differentiate between truth and falsehood, that they will be unable to distinguish between right and wrong, and that such a people deprived of the power to think and judge would be, without knowing and willing it, completely subject to the rule of lies.  Among such a people any maneuvering and manipulation is possible.  This obsessive, depraved nature is readily recognizable and sadly evident in human affairs in general, and politics and religion in particular.  Satan doesn't try to counterfeit what is already false -- it would be a complete waste of his time.  Instead his attention is focused on counterfeiting what is true.  It's a fact that he's spent the last two thousand years raising up a body of professing Christians who aren't in the body of Christ and never were (1John 2:19).  Whether he foments animosity among or simply prompts indifference in people, the result is the same.  The devil couldn't care less about how many songs of praise this sham-phony army of professing Christians of his may sing or how much the organ or other musical instruments might be employed in its worship assemblies so long as none of these recruits of his start discovering the truth on their own from the Bible and start putting their own exegesis to work for God.  The eisegesis of the churches appropriating the name "Christian" which downplays shared testimony, independent Bible study, private prayer and meditation, and doing something with it to serve God plays right into his hands.  When people are asleep in religion one morning a week and jamb-packing every remaining hour of their lives with every recreational diversion known to western civilization they're doing just what Satan wants.  Those following this broad road of letting worldly distractions monopolize nearly all of their time and attention may proudly feel in their heart that this same routine is compensating for their latest round of sins, but they're very sadly mistaken.  

God hates this kind of stuff (Prov. 16:5).

If a mere fig tree earned the curse of the Lord Jesus for bearing no fruit when its leaves were plentiful (Mark 11:12-14), then it becomes the absolute business of everyone in the body of Christ, musicians included, to make their own individual contributions to carrying out His great commission (Matt. 28:18-20), to bear fruit (Gal. 5:22-23) reflective of the Spirit Christ within them, and to teach others about the true gospel, the love of God, the absolute authority given to Christ Jesus in heaven and in earth and what He has commanded.  WHY? ... because people all over this world are dying without Him -- without ever learning about God's grace.  Such people are missing their chance to travel the only road to heaven [the cross of Christ] which a holy and just God has made for man's justification.

Because of His holiness God views sin very differently than we do.  The spiritual disease or condition of sin with which all people come into this world creates a great rift or hiatus between humanity and a holy God.  It makes man a criminal, a lawbreaker who in God's eyes must be punished because He is a God of justice.  But He is also a God of love Who has planted a bridge to heal that breach for those willing to change their sinful ways and embrace it.  That one and only bridge is the cross of Christ.  Those old enough and mentally capable enough of comprehending this, i.e. the true gospel, and are made aware of it during their natural lifetime but ignore or willfully reject it and die without Christ will spend eternity separated from God.  The truth is, those in whom the Holy Spirit dwells having received the down payment are destined one day to be born of the resurrection [born again] with a body like Christ's into the kingdom of God but, for the time being, are enlisted in a conflict between two spiritual kingdoms at war with each other.  It isn't about sitting on one's duff in pews week after week listening to flowery messages, singing songs, following the prescribed religious routine, being stuck in this hamster wheel minding one's own business, then leaving the assembly keeping to ourselves what we've seen and heard and what God has done for us while people all around us are perishing for never knowing about it.

NO.  Not according to Scripture.

It's about proactive enlistment for spiritual battle.

It's about deliberate, voluntary, witnessing outreach.

Satan knows if he can get sin to rule us,

any initial interest we have in the rule of God will be killed.

That's his objective in this war -- for us to die in our sins.

But if the Holy Spirit rules us, the sin in us will be killed,

crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6, Gal. 2:20, 5:24).

The pipe organ's ability to adapt to both sacred and secular contexts has allowed it to thrive for more than two thousand years.  During this time it became deeply rooted in its Christian identity because it has been churches which have provided organists with jobs, it was primarily churches that  encouraged organists to learn the organ, and it was frequently churches that were the biggest patrons of the instrument.  While precise statistics are hard to come by, the vast majority of pipe organs today are indeed found in churches with estimates suggesting that over 90 per cent of them are installed in primarily Christian religious settings due to their long standing association with such ceremonies and liturgical music.  At the same time it would be untrue to say that the organ's history is solely or even primarily Christian.  In acknowledging the vast repertoire of the instrument created during the last 7 centuries it's important not to create a false dichotomy between its sacred and secular uses.  The goal should not be to remove the secular, nor the sacred, from the organ but rather to reveal the true multiplicity of its identity.

This platform's home page has already touched upon the idea that true worship stems from a sincere heart and reverence for God, that when worship becomes focused more on performers rather than spiritual connection it indicates a departure from authentic spirituality.  But until those who are called to this specialized ministry go to God with a repentant attitude and pray the prayer of faith for instruction they cannot even begin to imagine what's in store for them up ahead.  Once a student's interest in organ playing leads them to wade into this vast ocean of learning it's inevitable that they find themselves beginning to sense -- rather sooner than later -- this conjoining between theology and organ performance, that it all fits together.  They then do more than simply admire the craftsmanship and workings of this engineering marvel that has them captured, how it's built, how it creates sound, and the beauty and majesty of the music written for it -- they start crediting it for reflecting in its design and purpose the Light of an Eternal Mind. 

The first time that anyone experiences what it's like to sit at a large pipe organ, draw its stops, press its keys in spread chords with the full organ and pedal, and be exposed to its sonic and visceral sensations, on that day "the pipe organ bug" bites them.  Once that happens, they're never the same.  Their ears, eyes, and hearts, ALL are opened up in ways not possible by any other means.  Being involved in the production of organ music feeds, nourishes, brings great joy to, and connects with listeners in a very special way.

For people called to and set aside by God to serve in this music ministry the situation however is not a simple one in this present, pluralistic, politically correct world.

By far the biggest obstacle facing them

in carrying out their God-given calling

is religion itself.

RELIGIOUS PRIDE

KEEPS PEOPLE FROM THE TRUTH.

THE SAD TRUTH IS,

MUCH ABOUT RELIGION WITHIN CHURCHIANITY

IS NEITHER BIBLICAL NOR CHRISTIAN

BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.

Religion says, "I obey, therefore I am accepted."

Christianity says, "I am accepted, therefore I obey."

Religion is man trying to reach up to God.

Christianity is God reaching down to man.

Religion is about what man has to do to be right with God.

Christianity is about what God has already done to provide

the opportunity for man to be right with Him.

Religion says you must earn your salvation by doing good deeds and not doing evil.

Christianity says all we need to do is BELIEVE that Christ has already paid the price for the evil we've done.

RELIGION THUS TEACHES

ITS OWN REQUIREMENTS FOR SALVATION.

TRUE CHRISTIANITY TEACHES

THAT THERE ARE NO REQUIREMENTS

FOR SALVATION TODAY

SAVE FOR FAITH & BELIEF

IN THE NAME, PERSON, WORK, LIFE, DEATH, RESURRECTION, AND GRACE

OF JESUS CHRIST ALONE.

SALVATION CANNOT BE MERITED OR EARNED

BY ANY BURDENS, TASKS, OR EXERTIONS

PRESCRIBED BY RELIGION.

IT IS NOT OF WORKS (Eph. 2:9).

FAITH ALONE, HOWEVER,

WITHOUT FAITH-PERFECTING WORKS

WHICH REFLECT THE INNER LIVING PRESENCE

OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST,

 IS A DEAD FAITH (Jas. 2:17-26).

WHEN A CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY TEACHES

THAT SOMEONE MUST IN ANY SENSE

PERFORM GOOD WORKS

IN ORDER TO DRAW DOWN THEIR SALVATION

IT RENDERS THE CROSS OF CHRIST OF NO EFFECT,

MAKES GOD INTO A LIAR,

AND DENIES HIS GRACE.

GOD LOOKS AT THE HEART,

FOR WHAT HE REQUIRES,

NOT WHAT RELIGION REQUIRES.

BEING DEVOUTLY RELIGIOUS

NEVER SAVED ANYBODY FROM HELL.

[THE PEOPLE WHO SHOUTED THE LOUDEST FOR THE CRUCIFIXION OF CHRIST WERE RELIGIOUS.]

PEOPLE NEED TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST

to be saved.

They need to come to the cross TO KNOW HIM,

not with their religious trappings, precedence, & pride

but with humility.

NOTE:  Ever since the mystery of grace was first revealed  both Jews and Gentiles have been saved by it -- a merit-less salvation on the part of those being saved.  Scripture indicates that Christ did everything needed to supply this grace on the cross and by His resurrection.  People are saved today by faith alone in Him, His death, His resurrection, and the perfect finished work of His cross.  But whole denominations by the dozens are being led by seminary attendees who are falsely teaching that this is not enough, that to be saved one has to comply with additional conditions.

Salvation is NOT spadework to be taken up.

It's a gift.

Being saved in Christ is NOT religion.

It's an inner transformation of the spirit.

A man or woman within the body of Christ typically talks to the Holy Spirit in prayer like a best friend, prays ad libitum from the heart without vain repetition, searches the Bible for truth, lives by it as a lifestyle, cuts out things that get between themselves and God, resists the temptation to sin, and puts on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11-18) against the devil, this sinful world, and its ways.  There are many church-goers today who don't understand this or even recognize the season they're in because the homilies they're hearing from the pew and the messaging they're hearing from the gallery barely touch upon it.  They play church, they attend services, they recite a creed, they perform a rite, they get water baptized (which portrays but does not produce salvation), it makes them feel a sense of community, moral code, and humility, but their spirit is still waiting to undergo conversion to a new creature in Christ.  They pay a compulsory tithe to maintain good standing without being aware that 16 times in the Bible the tithe was mandated by God to be only fruits, vegetables, and clean animals -- never money, gold, silver, wages, or anything else; nowhere in the Bible in fact did God ever transfer ownership of the tithe from the Levite to any apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd (pastor/bishop), teacher, church, religious organization, or anything else (2Cor. 9:7).  Churches like this downplay biblical exegesis and promote their own eisegesis to the neglect of the regeneration of the spirit which is part of the true gospel.  Such churches are lifeless because their leaders are insentient of the need to teach this, they don't know Christ like they think they do, and He doesn't know them.  Those newly joined with the body of Christ aren't just devoted admirers of Jesus -- they bear a fixed relationship with Him; they feel His joy inside them (John 15:11); they feel a love for Him so great that from now on the idea of anything that grieves the Spirit within them, viz. sin in any form, becomes abhorrent because it represents disloyalty and betrayal to what He did on the cross.  They're a new creation from head to toe, a totally different individual from how they used to habitually think and behave and who they used to be.

Jesus claimed, rightly, that HE was "the Way, THE TRUTH, and the life" (John 14:6).  We therefore have it on the authority of the holy and Spirit-filled Son of God that there is indeed such a thing as absolute truth and that HE was the embodiment of it.  The apostle Paul wrote of a time when there will come a great falling away from the truth, that God will permit a consuming delusion to sweep human societies, and that the majority shall be carried away by it to their own shame and destruction (2Thess. 1-12).  The error of indifferentism, a form of heresy especially prevalent and dangerous today in some of the churches, is a part of the delusion Paul describes.  It has to do with the big lie sweeping modern society that there is no such thing as absolute truth, that one religion is as good as another.  This heresy rests upon the supposition that truth is relative, that it ebbs and flows and changes depending upon what the latest polls say it is or what people want it to be, and that it doesn't matter what people believe, it's what they do that counts.  Whoever bows their head in agreement with this, that truth truth and error are equally pleasing to God, is guilty of this heresy which is a sin against the 1st Commandment. 

A great many theologians who occupy chairs and pulpits these days are promoting this.

Some of these individuals also have used the media to build followings and make a name for themselves, not by being allegiant stewards of the Word but by prioritizing this heresy along with other false belief preferred by the public.  By imposing their own constraints, readings, and exegesis on the purity of Scripture, mixing it with their own feel-good presumptions, and slavishly accepting what the minds of men think truth is ... ideas such as

"All religions have value as pathways to God" and

"The hearts of people are basically good" ...

they're flat out dead wrong.

Scripture teaches the opposite, that

The human heart is deceitful above all things

and desperately wicked (Jer. 17:9)

AND

God has made the cross of Christ

the ONLY path that can be taken

to heal the breach between God and man

and achieve reconciliation (Rom. 5:1,9).

It's a fact that many church-goers unknowingly listen week after week to pretenders dressed in costly vestments

who misread certain verses of Scripture,

take them out of context,

blend them with inherited thinking

and other deviations from God's truth,

and then feed this miscellany to the masses

in messaging as imposing as the building architecture

when they're running anything but a Bible study

or a Fellowship of Joy.

They have a creed, but not Jesus Christ.

They have a cause, but not Jesus Christ.

They have a code, but not Jesus Christ.

They have a "church," but not Jesus Christ.

Now, it's calamity enough when Buddhists, Hindus, Confucianists, Islamists, unbelieving Jews, atheists, agnostics, wiccans, and profane libertines [all of sufficient age and mentality to comprehend salvation in the gospel but freely reject and omit ever receiving Christ] will of their own choosing miss their chance to experience the joy of eternal fellowship with God, but it gets worse ... Jesus warned that many self-styled followers of His won't realize either until it's far too late that they've spent their lives soaking in unsound religious belief that kept the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, at a perpetual distance (Matt. 7:21-23, Luke 12:32).  People can acknowledge the identity and spiritual authority of the Lord Jesus Christ [even demons do that], attend worship services regularly, sing in the choir, donate to charity, volunteer their time, and go about every performative work their religion prescribes, but without having that personal, intimate, faith-filled encounter with Christ and experiencing that transformative, regenerative process that results from His Spirit coming to live inside them, without that inner transformation that completely converts one's inner nature, thinking, and character, without the same fruit-of-the-Spirit approach (Gal. 5:22-23) to all of life which is a direct reflection of Him  -- they simply DO NOT have Christ, and HE does not know THEM (Matt. 7:21-23).  Once someone has been to the cross of Christ and has received Him they can never be the same (2Cor. 5:17), but much of what religion leads people to believe about being right with God is nothing more than repetitive, man-made, feel-good fiction that ignores the fundamental inner alteration or metamorphosis involved in being saved.  When someone's system of belief is tainted with artificial practice like this which even its own clergy cannot see through, that "church" is no better off than the scoffer who says he doesn't need God or kneel to anyone.  A non-believer like this can become so wrapped up in his own pride and insubordination, so hardened in his heart, and place himself so distant and out of reach that after a time the Holy Spirit will eventually give up trying to get through to him.  With his trespasses still imputed to him at his death that same man will learn finally, the hard way, that no one is so blameless that they can excuse themselves before God or so small that they can hide from His justice.  Such a man indeed will find himself on his knees one Day filled with dismay and regret, crying for reconciliation but singled out only for adversity with no advocate.  Unshielded by the cross of Christ that same man who once waxed proud

will be given no place among the saved

and melt that Day in the presence of God

like a tiny wax figurine before a blast furnace

unless that man runs right now to Christ.

Just the same, the delusion for them ALL is complete.

When it concerns professing Christians it's known as "the Judas tragedy," it's shocking, and association with such "churches" can have well-meaning organists and other musicians immersed in the same imposture.

Worship buildings are unique work-place venues for organists in a great many other respects.  To start with, it's a non sequitur for an organist to "go to church" to practice the organ there.  People can go to a religious center/501c3 building to worship, fellowship, or exercise their ministry, but, technically speaking, they cannot "go to church."  The "church" [Gr. "ekklesia," meaning "called out ones"] Jesus said He would build (Matt. 16:18) is not a building, neither is it limited to any one denominational persuasion.  It is not an agency of sectarian bondage.  It's a spiritual organism composed of individuals peppered throughout society who have received Jesus Christ, are justified by faith, belong to Him, and are destined one day to be resurrected [born again] into the kingdom of God.  Among former church-goers a fair number of them do not intend to return.  When every local Christian congregation is supposed to be thinking and acting like a loving and concerned family it can be very dispiriting to learn that some attendees have received undeserved mistreatment as a result of  their church memberships.  Those saved in Christ cannot afford to remain ignorant of the fact that spiritual bruises and welts have been suffered by church people and that far too many have been wounded in the house of the Lord.  Just about anybody who's "been in church" for very long has his/her own sad and painful story to tell about gossip, slander, hypocrisy, ingratitude, snubs, omissions, being forced into a mold that didn't fit, or outright discrimination.  These kinds of embarrassing flaws have not only contributed in a negative and no small way to church retention and recruitment but have exerted their virulent, toxic effects among fraternal organizations as well.  If someone is seriously wronged accidentally and those responsible acknowledge it and apologize, there is room for forgiveness.  We are taught to love and forgive the trespasses of others even when no apology may be forthcoming (Matt. 6:14-15).  But if and when expectations are marred through quarrels and divisions, criticism and control, neglect and betrayal, the relationship gets shredded, and it may be impossible for things to continue along the same lines.  From then on flinching and cringing happen at the mere mention of "church."  Musicians who may have witnessed or been subject to such misfortune to such an upsetting and destructive degree do well to remain close to God in prayer, keep in mind the positive impact their playing invariably has on their listeners, envision what the church being the church really looks like as a caring family, and be willing to seize any future opportunities to help make that dream or ideal into a reality.

Certain modernizations such as teaching from ipods and screens with the lights turned off being substituted for conventional hymnals has left some congregants who are unaccustomed to such things understandably uncomfortable.  They feel like they aren't being nourished in the fullness of God's Word but are simply being entertained, having their senses played, and are barely growing in the faith.  Sadly, in some of the megachurches and Christian persuasions today, we find misguided pastors and associate pastors in the heirarchy of governance who are preaching amiss.  The prevailing worldly stance of feel-good compromise and political wokeism has infected all areas of society including the modern pulpit to the extent that the messaging from the Bible about such critical matters as the sin problem, hell, the doctrine of justification by faith, in fact the entire host of consequential points involved in the Christian journey, are being set aside in favor of 1) the prosperity gospel [falsely claiming (John 16:33) that every faith-filled Christian can expect and should look forward to financial favor and thriving abundance in this world and that any shortfalls encountered in either area in the here and now indicates insufficient faith], 2) legalism [an unbiblical hybrid of law and grace involving the imposition of additional conditions for salvation such as mandatory membership & attendance, forced tithing, speaking in tongues, vain repetitious praying, and entire systems of observance], 3) hypergrace [preaching only God's love without acknowledging His holiness, twisting Scripture (1John 4:16) in contending that "love is the God we seek," ignoring the truth that He is also a God of justice, and promoting the idea that those saved in Christ can do whatever they want], 4) replacement theology [the false notion (Eph. 1-3) that the body of Christ has supplanted Israel in the plan of God, thus making believers a non-existent spiritual Israel, stealing their possibility of free salvation and failing at the same time to rightly divide truth from truth, and 5) outright blasphemy [redefining God's nature, rejecting the jeopardy of hell, teaching no access to Jesus save through His human mother, denying the exclusiveness of the cross of Christ in claiming that all religions are pathways to God, asserting that Christ was a created Being, that He was hung on an upright pole, or that the destiny of the saved is to become gods themselves, all of which, in their untruth, are an affront to God.  The Lord Jesus was quite clear about the danger of hell fire (Matt. 5:22) and about Himself, that no person can come to the Father but by Him (John 14:6).  He was also quite clear about the ordeal and sore trial [NOT thriving good fortune] that awaits anyone in this world who believes in Him and receives Him (John 16:33), warning people that there would be a price to pay for it.  He said if any man were to come after Him, let him deny himself, take up his cross [NOT pole] daily, and follow Him (Matt. 16:24, Luke 9:23).  This means nothing less than to restrain oneself from gratification of desires, bear the affliction that comes from being His follower, and even face execution, if need be, for His sake.   For those would-be new congregants who walk with God in Bible reading and prayer, who have investigated the original meanings of biblical passages recorded in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek language, understand them in correct translation and in proper context, and are clear on sound, rightly divided biblical doctrine, the dishonest gainsaying they find being preached unbiblically in too many "churches" these days is a complete turn-off (Gal. 1:9).  They know that the sins society condones, that the clergy may disregard, overlook, or excuse, or that man has made legal, are still sins in the eyes of God.  

Any gathering of the body of Christ today is supposed to be a place where the Spirit of Christ is there, reflecting His love, joy, peace, and other attributes of the Spirit of truth (Gal. 5:22-23).  And yet, the way churches operate today, supposedly in His name, they give potential new congregants  a thousand reasons to quit attending.  As for the music, the major denominations may still have an organ of some kind in mostly or partly working condition, but most, sad to say, do not have anyone to play it.  More often than not they rely upon a piano to accompany any live singing.  As for the listeners, a fair number of them really do not prefer the "pop concert" swing-and-sway atmosphere which now pervades the church music scene.  High-tech assisted worship, for them, is unnecessarily complicated.  They want it simple, not so communication glutted, easy to figure out and easy to follow, something that doesn't get them lost.  This means a simple hymn book with music lines, a single song-leader, and plain accompaniment as opposed to the most up-to-date sights and sounds of a modern technology-glutted society.

 

To hear so many congregants talking today the well-meaning rock band performing all kinds of special music of their own, while all well and good, is, frankly, wasted on them in a worship setting.  They agree that there is plenty of room for musical creativity, excellence, and talent, but they also admit that it should work with and not compete with assembled voices uplifted in worship.  They want to hear ALL of God's people united in praise, not merely the praise band singers.  They don't want to be forced to stumble through or silently listen to unfamiliar music and words they have trouble following while gazing at lines flashing across a Jumbotron screen.  They want to KNOW the music so they can sing it from their hearts.

This is a sobering situation facing the music ministry today.  Trends like this have pushed many an organist, whether deliberately or not, out of the picture right along with the traditional hymn book.  The current so-called shortage-of-organists can be attributed in large part to the concert atmosphere that's developed and the fact that worship attendance and offerings have been dwindling.  Consequently fewer young people are undertaking the study of an instrument which consumes time and energy to develop, then maintain the several skill sets involved. but doesn't provide commensurate financial return.  There are some organists out there, of course, who attempt to make a full-time living from their music with a pay scale which provides for a part of their needs, health coverage, and other considerations, but such positions are very few and far between.  It's a fact that a great many churches these days have lost their organists because their musicians are expected to perform weekly for zero compensation.  The best case scenario seems to be relying on doing something else for a primary income which would allow someone to pursue the music ministry with a mind free of undue concern.

It's sadly astonishing that a fair number of churches today are saying that they're "no longer able to utilize" their pipe organ, a fine piece of musical equipment that may well have served and inspired countless listeners and for which so many had sacrificed to purchase and install some decades ago.  Church boards are claiming they don't want to pay to keep the instrument maintained when they can't find anyone to play it ... all the while ignoring the fact that, in order for it to attract a talented player, it has to BE in working order not to mention that, by offering no pay, they've destroyed any financial incentive for talent recruitment.  The truth is, when there are important organs hundreds of years old in Europe that are in excellent condition today because someone cared enough to preserve them, it's nonsensical, a dirty rotten shame, and a crime against music bordering on blasphemy to put a fine pipe organ out on the street and end up with worship music that's "all sauce and no beefsteak."  Too many congregations today find themselves under-selling if not giving away their organ, then in 6 months, after the music director has hit the road for obvious reasons, they wish they had their organ back -- better to throw out the music director, keep the organ, and begin fund-raising to keep it in good repair and pay someone talented to play it.     

In terms of filling the pews every week, the very misguided disuse of the hymnal and organ in worship has been far more of a hindrance than a help.  There are probably a very great many people who don't really care whether or not they're singing with an organ, but it's as if hymnals and organs have become the scapegoats for the decline in attendance.  The resulting fallout in education has involved school faculties which seem to be more challenged than ever before to recruit organ students.  Among denominations where organ music and accompaniments are or might still be embraced, there are fewer local churches open than ever before, fewer ministers, fewer congregants, smaller choirs (where there is a choir), greater costs for upkeep of the building and the functioning of worship, and more internal legislation on security, youth, insurance, etc.

While the musical mindset of flat-screen pastors and worship teams is no longer what it was half a century ago, it still rings true that church services have little to do with what people prefer and everything to do with what they need.  It's still true that when people reverently and routinely come together to hear the Word of God, fellowship in a spirit of joy, and sing praises to Him, this points to the use of a type of sacred song that's a) strong in doctrine, b) not mantra or emotionally driven, and c) not filled with repetitive lyrics.  These are foundational conditions, and, in churches where hymnals have been gathered up and are sitting in boxes or stacked in hallways, the ministry there would do well to remember that traditional hymns meet these requisites better than anything else [See blog, Hymns, Parts I-XII].

Hymns are theological statements set to music.

• Hymns serve as a means to teach and reinforce the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith.  Many contemporary songs simply lack the depth and theological richness that hymns provide.  Hymns can help educate and spiritually nourish congregations of all sizes.
• Hymns have connected generations of believers throughout history.  The singing of just one hymn at an appropriate moment, something approved of and encouraged by Jesus Himself (Matt. 26:30, Mark 14:26), can serve as a bridge between the church's past and its present, reminding all participants they are part of a much larger, timeless group which shares unity and continuity in worshiping God.
• Hymns are easy to remember.  Their melodies and lyrics stay with people for a lifetime.  Congregants can carry the messages and lessons contained in hymns throughout their lives, reinforcing their faith.
• Hymns can be a unifying force among a diverse congregation.  They transcend cultural and language barriers and provide an opportunity for people of different backgrounds to worship together.  They are a beautiful expression of unity in Christ among various sundry peoples that gives them a real sense of identity and belonging.
• Hymns can offer a broader musical palette and a sense of balance in worship.  They are flexible, arrangeable, and can accommodate a wide multiplicity of musical tastes and preferences.
• Hymns often carry deep emotional resonance.  Their melodies and lyrics can evoke strong feelings of reverence, joy, comfort, and pleasant memories of departed loved-ones.  They reach deeply into the soul, beckon the unsaved, and provide a safe space for people to express their emotions, a place where they can find solace and healing.
• Hymns can be powerful teaching tools.  They can be and are very often used to instruct and encourage, especially in conjunction with the preaching of sermons.  Many hymns are directly tied to biblical passages and stories, making them valuable teaching aids.
• Hymns preserve a sacred legacy for future generations.  These timeless songs of the church are a way that children and grandchildren have the opportunity to experience an unbroken musical heritage.    

   To understand a congregation's theology

and how they practice it

one of the best places to start

is to find out what that congregation sings

and how and where they sing it.

Amish communities, for example, embrace a strict and disciplined, traditional Anabaptist Christian theology.  They conduct their worship services out of their own homes and, while they do sing hymns, it's always slowly, a capella, in unison without any instrumental use whatsoever.  All singing and preaching is done in Pennsylvania German, and their primary hymnal, the Ausbund, the oldest hymnal still in use dating back to early 16th century Reformation days, contains only the words, the melodic tunes being passed down mouth to ear from generation to generation.  Mennonites, on the other hand, hold worship services in their own church buildings and employ instrumental accompaniment for their hymn singing which is done in English in 4-parts from a variety of hymnals and song books which form their hymnody.  In North America since the 1960's they have used organs, both pipe and electronic, as well as pianos and even drums in their church services.  Not surprisingly, while they also embrace the same set core of Anabaptist theology, their practice is a good deal more modernized, more engaging with outsiders, less rigorous in observance, and in recent years has even embodied progressive trends.  

While it would be narrow-minded to think that hymn singing out of the hymnal is incapable of joining in praise with other kinds of worship music when congregations gather to offer praise to God, it does provide a great deal of spiritual depth, theological richness, timeless connection, memorability, inclusivity, variety and balance, and emotional resonance while serving as a powerful teaching tool with a living legacy.  There's also something else to consider:  just holding a hymnal during worship is important.  Practically speaking, hymn books cannot break down in the middle of a liturgy like technology can.  Musically, they teach -- looking at notes on a page as opposed to just lyrics helps people learn the basics of melodic direction and rhythmic value, giving them the first steps in learning to read music.  Theologically, congregants don't just see what the worship leader has selected but are instead exposed to the full repertoire.  They can turn the page and encounter hymns in other languages, reminding them of the church's diversity.  Seeing old hymns next to newer ones unites them with all believers throughout history.  Hymnals are also symbols of consistency.  Unlike a screen that fades or a paper bulletin which is discarded, they demonstrate that what is being sung is worth keeping around as well as reminding everyone that prayer is continuous and can't be turned off or discarded.  Hymnals are something that can and should be held proudly in the hands.  The fact that congregants have a voice and the organist has an organ which can lead them remains a very dynamic way to enrich the spiritual lives of congregations by maintaining connection with the church's roots, providing a robust theological foundation, reminding people of God's love and grace, and fostering unity and inclusivity while helping to stir souls and draw them closer to God.

SECTARIAN CHURCHIANITY (irrespective of cults)

LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

ORGANISTS PLEASE TAKE NOTE:

There are many communions and affiliations within churchianity today but only ONE body of Christ (Eph. 4:4).  The "church" Jesus said He would build upon the truth his disciple Simon Peter had just uttered (Matt. 16:18) is not made of brick and mortar where so many pipe and electronic organs in the world happen to be installed and playable.  The body of Christ is not physical architecture or a man-made grouping, either, but a spiritual body with Jesus Christ as its head.  It is not a religious corporation with Jesus Christ as its president.  It is not limited to the local congregation.  It is also NOT limited to any one denomination or system of observance -- that idea is simply FALSE no matter who insists otherwise.  The body of Christ crosses every partition and circumstantial divide to include ALL Spirit-led believers irrespective of gender, age, race, creed, color, country of origin, baptismal status, health status, formal education, vocation, past history, card-carrying memberships, who they're pastor is, or even if they have a pastor.  It includes EVERY HUMAN BEING of sufficient mental capacity who has received exposure to and has embraced the true gospel, repented, surrendered to the Lord Jesus, received Him into their heart, and is committed to trusting Him for everything going forward regardless of the cost.  Such people are destined to experience three miracles in their lives:  1) the aforementioned process of being redeemed, sanctified, and justified through the Lord Jesus and the saving work of His cross at the moment of knowing and receiving Him as their Savior, 2) a future moment [rapture] at which all in the body of Christ, whether living or deceased, are removed from this world, born again with a glorified body like the Lord Jesus, and are taken twice born to heaven (1Thess. 4:17), and 3) the miracle situated between these two other miracles made possible by such people taking on new life and becoming more like the Lord Jesus in their character as the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ, begins to live His life ...

IN THEM.

*

Organists serving the music ministry are not necessarily tied to where they can find the most lavish instrument in the most lavish building.  As for something in a portable electronic instrument for the itinerant organist or worship keyboardist where an organ with pedals is not available, it would be well to goal out for one that at a minimum came with a fairly realistic pipe organ diapason chorus aboard along with some softer ranks for preluding and more quiet, meditative moments.  It would also be most desirable if a built-in reverb engine with adjustable decay time were also aboard.  Top of the line would include a 32-foot octave, transposer button, and a row of adjustable presets to store selected combinations.  An external powered speaker cabinet, volume pedal, keyboard stand, bench, audio cables, power (surge) strip, and traveling case all would be highly advisable, if not necessary, tools.  An add-on powered subwoofer, connecting audio cable, extension cord, and a couple of 3-prong adapters for situations where the venue may only have 2-prong electrical wall receptacles, all come highly recommended.   

     

 *

It's important for organists/church musicians, wherever they're music ministry takes them, to remember this one thing ABOVE ALL:  worship music, no matter how pious it may sound, can be the front door to unbiblical deceptions.  Those in the body of Christ today don't get to follow Jesus on their own terms, neither do they get to worship God just with their heart or any other way they want.  Referring to the Scriptures, Christ taught that people must worship God in spirit AND in truth (John 4:24).  Both are necessary and non-negotiable conditions according to Jesus, which means that the Bible is conjoined with the hymnal (and comes before it).  In a great many of today's denominations being led by preachers who go along to get along, more time is spent listening to and watching Christian-based songs performed than hearing sermon messages.  Since congregations learn their theology not only by the preaching they hear but by the songs they sing it's important to bear in mind that Satan the devil, as described above, also is a musician; he knows all about music, and his workmanship in this department was prepared for him in heaven from the time he was created (Ezek. 28:13).  As a largely underestimated master of disguise, Satan is well aware that spiritual giftedness, especially in the creative arts, does not equal spiritual maturity.  So, with characteristic, unmitigated gall he cunningly and treacherously deceives and preys upon any well-meaning but unwary, underinformed, misinformed, and susceptible praise song writers.  He specifically targets their proficiency in crafting poetic and artistic language to perpetrate a hoax; he misleads them to incorporate what's theologically false into the lyrics they're matching to the latest captivating tune to issue from their pen.  In so doing, this malevolent being, working undercover, exploits the creativity of the naive musician to adroitly assemble a Trojan Horse for him.  The musical product is a very subtle, perfidious imposture which on its surface looks and sounds and seems uplifting, reverent, and honoring to God but when introduced into and performed at worship it ends up achieving the pernicious end that Satan wants; its wording, when mirrored against biblical truth, is irreverent and lacking honor to God while at the same time promoting what's untrue in such an astute and guileful way that it goes unnoticed.  This is only one way that Satan, the ruler and god of this world (John 16:11, 2Cor. 4:4) who knows that God will not trespass on man's free will, exploits churchianity.  He worms his way into the arts, infiltrates religious thinking and worship, and manipulates the people involved (including seminary attendees & musicians); he manipulates places (including pulpits & the elevated dais); he manipulates things (including seminaries, liturgies, bible translations, theologies, music, etc.) to taint the purity of biblical truth -- in this case within sung stanzas of songs -- just enough to discolor with error the purity of truth.  Incognizant singers who are duped by all of this may be charter members of their church, they may have multiple baptismal certificates to their name, have a drawer full of Sunday school pins, have never missed choir practice, and still end up, of their own free choice, missing their chance to experience God's presence and fellowship with Him forever.  As long as the result is still the same, Satan is fine with that.  As stated, the devil doesn't come on as a bad guy; he works behind the scenes masquerading as a good guy to achieve his ends; he doesn't give a hoot about how much people sing praises to God in the churches every week as long as the singing is off target.  Satan, master of fine-spun, insidious propaganda that he is, ambush predator walking about this earth seeking whom he can devour that he is (1Pet. 5:8), arrogant, brazen, back-stabbing traitor to God that he is, hates man, hates the Word of God rightly divided, and hates the true gospel, is infuriated by it, and will stop at nothing, and stoop to anything, to contaminate and pollute its message, lure people away from God, and get them to disqualify themselves by any tantalizing and nefarious means his genius can contrive.  This is because Satan knows that a) no man has ever turned away from God and found happiness, joy, and peace that was lasting and permanent, b) God has made

+  the cross of Christ  +

the road to heaven, c) there isn't any other way for sinful man to be forgiven and enter into eternal fellowship with God, d) the man or woman who refuses to accept the shelter it offers is doomed, and e) it's been made crystal clear that anyone saved by it is no longer dead in spirit (alive physically but without relationship or fellowship with God) but part of a new creature called the body of Christ, miraculously formed by grace through faith, against which no weapon formed, seen or unseen, shall prosper (Isa. 54:17).  

Is this what's really going on in the churches

and with church music today?

Dear friends, you better believe it ...

Where you spend eternity depends upon it.

If Satan is shrewd enough to talk angels out of heaven

he can talk man into hell.

He accomplishes this

by using this world to entice man

to occupy his mind with everything except God.

If any human soul ever ends up lost and in hell

it won't be because of the bad they've done.

Those sins can be forgiven by the precious blood

of the Lord Jesus Christ.

If they end up lost it's because of what they have not done,

by omitting ever receiving Jesus Christ

as their personal Saviour.

The classic hymns also have poetic and artistic language in them, but it's always combined with a reverence and an honoring to God that's sadly lacking in a fair number of the newer songs used in praise.  This is why true Christians are obliged to follow Saint Paul's example (1Cor. 14:15) when he says he will sing with the spirit and also sing with the understanding.  This is why organists who play for worship services need to be (and cannot afford NOT to be) well acquainted with true, rightly divided, biblical Christian doctrine.  When there is a proper way to worship and sing to the Lord, viz., in the spirit with both truth and understanding, then people are not to sing songs to God that they do not understand (if it's something they don't understand, then it's truthfulness cannot be determined).  People fail to catch any untruths in the stanzas they're singing in worship without knowing the truth directly from sacred Scripture.  This makes it incumbent upon organists as well as praise music writers and other performers involved in the music ministry to reflect upon the body of belief being taught where their music is being heard.   

*

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS WORTH SHARING ...

Some of our organist friends, while they cannot find any hard numbers to support it, believe that the profession of liturgical organist is dying.  In some locales a fair number of churches have either shut down completely or merged with other congregations.  Many are no longer employing the organ and are using either piano or praise band music.  Active choirs are becoming increasingly rare because of the diminished and aged congregations.  Many young organists today are completely eschewing church work and trying to build recital careers.  While understandable, they do not have the career paths of other musicians such as violinists or pianists.  As such, even our major organists cannot command the fees many up-and-coming pianists make.  The demand and audience attraction just aren't there.  The sad part is that many new organists are fine musicians, their talent is something about which to marvel, but it seems that, without a massive examination of the topic of marketing, this profession will be gone in the not too distant future.

In many locales there are some fine teachers available for organ study, but they find it discouraging because it seems that no one wants to study the instrument.  A significant issue appears to be that organists can't find full time positions with even basic benefits because so many churches can no longer afford that, notwithstanding the issue of those who just want a paycheck and have no concern for the music ministry.  The cause for this situation is multi-faceted.  In the big cities where many large and important instruments are located a fair number of congregants have grown tired of political agendas that have flown directly in the face of their faith, and, being conscientious objectors, a fair number of those able to move away have done so.  The Covid scare and the church's reaction to it also caused people to get out of the habit of attending worship services, opting instead to watch online.  The woke ideology direction some of the churches have taken also is part of the picture, many people just don't go for drag queen bible study, and these are dying by their own hand.

It's a disheartening reality that many extraordinarily talented young musicians, brimming with potential, will see their careers falter or stagnate -- not due to a lack of skill but because they do not understand how to market themselves.  Despite their musical prowess they find themselves adrift in a landscape that increasingly values visibility and self-promotion.  What's particularly troubling is that even our most prestigious music education institutions often fail to equip these gifted individuals with the business acumen necessary for building a successful concert career.  A comprehensive musical education should not just focus on the art itself but also on the practical realities of turning that artistry into a viable profession.  One of the most crucial aspects of being a performing artist is selling tickets and filling seats in a performance venue.  In today's competitive world, being excellent is no longer enough -- the recitalist must also be a magnet that can draw a wide and loyal audience.  Major concert venues will simply not hire an artist who cannot fill their halls, regardless of their talent.

This challenge extends beyond just filling seats.  Musicians must also know how to cultivate relationships with foundations and corporations to secure funding for their desired projects, many of which are not cheap.  The ability to attract patrons and sponsors, present compelling proposals, and manage funding is now as integral to a musician's success as the ability to perform beautifully on stage.  The tragedy deepens when we consider the sheer breadth of opportunities available today.  In this digital age, with platforms like social media and streaming services at their fingertips, musicians have unprecedented access to audiences around the globe.  However, far too few know how to harness these tools effectively.  Many young artists seem overwhelmed or simply unaware of the power these resources hold on shaping their future careers.

This disparity between talent and visibility underscores the urgent need for our music institutions to evolve.  It's no longer enough to teach the notes; how to be heard in a noisy world also needs to be taught.  The modern performing artist has to be a skilled marketer, relationship builder, and fundraiser as much as they are a master of the instrument.  Any time-saver [such as online educational websites like this one] which helps fast-track that mastery can be expected to help create more time for the budding professional to focus on these other career-building skills.

BOTTOM LINE MESSAGE FOR ORGANISTS:

Modern technology and social media have opened an avenue for audiences to judge your musicianship and for musicians to be able to seek other's approval.  Because it takes a lot of years to get to a point where you can use your music to make a living, even partially, you need to find a balance between what part of your music is ministry and what part of it is career.  Doing music doesn't always give instant gratification from others.  The unspoken compliments are valuable, too.  Just blessing and touching someone's heart and soul with something you play is the goal.  Let God do His work through your music.  He will give the increase.  Keep on working, and keep on enjoying what you do.  Keep your eye on the finish line and beyond.  Remember as well, it's extremely easy to get burned out with music.  It's hard work, and negative criticism hurts.  Try to ignore the negative junk.  Music is a wonderful journey but certainly not a perfect one, either.  Give your concerns whatever they are to the heavenly Father, and put your burden in His hands.  You are no accident.  God loves you.  He knew you before you were born.  He has invested you with a combination of traits and abilities unlike anyone else who has ever walked the face of this earth.  You are uniquely, almost strangely, qualified for the assignment God has in mind for you, and he has put you in the here and now, in this generation, for a purpose (Rom. 8:28-30).  That purpose may not always be clear to us, but it is to Him.  Implore His help in prayer, sincerely believe and state that it's for His greater glory and for the glory of His Son, then show Him your faith by thanking Him ahead of time for removing whatever obstacle(s) may be in your way.

Thank Him for creating a door where none is there

and opening it ahead of you.

Ask Him to show you the Way

to what's true and right and good.

With God Nothing is impossible (Matt. 19;26, Luke 1:37).

Trust Him to solve your puny little problem

in His own way, in His own good time,

and believe the answer is already signed, sealed,

and on its way.

Be mindful after that, of what happens (2Thess. 3:3).

He is faithful to move His hand to bless you.

      *