What Music Connects you to God?

Musical preferences are complicated and personal things. One person loves rock music, another classical, a third folk and a fourth hip-hop. And all of them might be sitting in the same pew!

Given these differences in musical preference, how should we use music in worship? Should we just standardize on one style of music and expect everyone to take part, or incorporate different styles into worship to connect with as many people as possible?

Speaking as an avid lover of music, I think that when we join a community, we need to learn to worship in the way that community worships. We need to uphold the parts of the body of Christ that are responsible for worshiping God through music, even when the style of music isn’t to our personal taste.

What about you? How do you handle the tension between your personal weekday preferences in music and what you sing on Sunday? Is it even an issue for you?

More importantly, what is it about music that connects you with God? Is it a certain style of music? Is it the words? Something else entirely? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Adapted from The Gospel.Com.Blog

What are your spiritual gifts?

All of us have unique abilities and talents, given to us by God, although not everyone recognizes their own gifts. Blaine Smith of Nehemiah Ministries has posted a good article on recognizing your spiritual gifts and learning how they fit into God’s plan for your life. He challenges us not to dismiss our gifts by comparing them to other people’s, and to keep alert for opportunities to sharpen our talents in the service of God. Most of us are “one-talent” persons. We are not going to be another Billy Graham, Mahatma Ghandi or Mother Teresa.

When we see ourselves falling short of the accomplishments of certain renowned individuals, we can lose the motivation to take our own potential seriously. Each of us without exception, however, has significant gifts–and opportunities to invest them for Christ that vastly exceed our expectations. What this provision amounts to specifically varies greatly from person to person. But God wants each of us to begin with the a priors assumption that he has endowed us with important ability to meet vital human needs, and that he will open all the doors necessary for us to be productive.

This attitude of faith will help us take meaningful steps toward fully understanding our gifts and the opportunities Christ provides us to make a difference. Smith has written other articles about using your spiritual gifts and related topics. And if you’re interested in exploring the idea of gifts and calling further, the Christian Career Center has a number of articles on finding your calling (although with a career focus).

Adapted from The Gospel. Com. Blog.