Comments on: Hillsong United Lyrics: True or False?

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:57:46 +0000

I was refreshed to read this, & like the way you’ve ‘thought out loud’ with this stuff versus how I’ve seen others approach such in the past. Often for me, I make things into prayers to say in my mind as I sing, “God, I want to only ever give you my all, help me to do this because I’m not capable of it without Your help.”

Thanks also for your prayers! They’re much appreciated!

By: Billy Chia

Billy Chia — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 04:31:38 +0000

Bod,
Thanks so much for stopping by!

I think we’re actually pretty closely in agreement then. I really feel you on the concept of “well rounded.”

I’ve been in churches where all they ever sung was stout doctrine-packed hymns. The stoutier the better. It got old really quick and worship felt fake.

I’ve been in churches where all they ever sung was cheesy Jesus-is-my-boyfriend “I love him so much” songs. The cheezier the better. It got old really quick and worship felt fake.

When you talk about worship connecting with reality - that resonates with me. When there’s a rounded, broad spectrum of worship lyrics that engage my heart, mind, soul and strength the it tends to feel like worship is very real to me.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 12:27:45 +0000

Well said, Billy. Thanks for interacting with my own thoughts and expressing your own so clearly.

Of course David expressed these “all-out” thoughts about worshiping God on numerous occasions, as you point out, and maybe this was an expression of his actual state, or just an expression of his deep longing that it be his actual state. At other times he was deeply aware of his own failure to be “all-out” for God. I think what we see in so much contemporary worship is a lack of this kind of honest “complexity.” We just say we’re “all-out” for God so often that the songs seem unhinged from reality!

What if in our songs we more often expressed our longing to be whole-hearted, a longing born of our undeniable failure to be that way, AS LONGING, rather than as if it were simply a routine truth about us (it seems routine if it’s all we ever say about ourselves).

Anyway, I think what I’m doing here is calling for a more rounded and honest form of self-expression than is sometimes found in our worship music. More about God’s grace toward children who need it badly, than about how wholehearted we children are in loving him.

Again, thanks for the thoughtful response to my blogpost. It looks like you’ve got a great blog here!

By: Billy Chia

Billy Chia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 21:30:26 +0000

Brent,
Good clarification. I’ve run into a lot of people who say that anytime we use the word “I” it’s self focused. That’s why I put “me focused” in quotes.

I love the song Rescue. It says, “I need you Jesus to come to my rescue. Where else can I go?” It’s a great song.

I think the key word you mentioned was dwell. There’s a broad range of lyrics and emotions that are great in small doses that become nauseating when overemphasized.

By: inWorship

inWorship — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:55:37 +0000

Hey Billy, I don’t think “I love You Jesus with all my Heart” is self focused. I think that is very God focused. a lot of songs dwell on “I need” and “I want” and that to me is self-focused. I believe the picture you’ve painted here is not self focused but instead surrender and passion.

By: Billy Chia

Billy Chia — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:15:14 +0000

Russ,
Right on, worship is an act of faith.

Tam,
I’m a big fan of Heart of the Artist. Although, really my point is that it’s quite good to sing some of the “me focused” songs. It is heartfelt worship to sing “I love you Jesus with all my heart.” That makes God the object of our worship. I do agree that we need a balance and a good mix of worship that engages not only our emotions but also heart, soul, mind, strength and everything we are.

Pete,
Yes, authentic worship is also volitional and not simply emotional.

Shannon,
Old school hymns + Hillsong United sounds like my kinda worship ministry

By: saintlewis

saintlewis — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:44:43 +0000

p.s. - in case you’ve not read it, I’d check out my much older post:
http://4whatitsworth.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/a-few-lessons-learned/

By: saintlewis

saintlewis — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:41:47 +0000

I disagree with Bob’s conclusion as well, which is why I still include Hillsong United songs regularly in our worship. However, I make a point of balancing the largely emotional, declarative content of Hillsong United songs with the more doctrinal and almost hymn-like material of Sovereign Grace Ministries and even Matt Redman, and actual hymns as well. I’m all about ‘balance’. Good post, however.

By: Pete

Pete — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 10:08:53 +0000

Maybe the line should be:

[Deep Breath] “I’ll only ever give my all except in the morning before I’ve had my shower because I’m not really awake and not on Wednesdays when we visit Aunt Gwendolyn who won’t stop her incesant chattering while shes making dinner and possibly not when I’m on the toilet or when that idiot at work doesn’t wash his spoon after stirring his coffee but other than that Lord I’ll only ever give my all.” ['nother deep breath]

But seriously, I think a lot of it is about being in the moment and (as Sarah kinda said) willing your mind, body and spirit to “give my all”. Sometimes, I swear it makes my body buzz with energy, but that might be an electrical short in the microphone.

By: tam

tam — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 23:34:02 +0000

In “The Heart Of the Artist” by Rory Noland he talks to vocalists on the importance of knowing what you’re singing. Researching it, understanding it, knowing what the catch phrase is that might get the listeners attention and making that stand out. Since the time I’ve read that and really started looking at lyrics I have come to this same conclusion you wrote about today. Seeing unrealistic lyrics for the sake of rhyme, it just seems shallow. We need to, as song writers, start writing truthfully from our hearts and even more than that…GOD focused lyrics. That seems to be lacking a bit in mainstream too.