I have many fond memories of growing up in the Christian church.
As a child,
I wasn't privy to the politics and controversies surrounding my religion.
But having a community,
Friends and family around each Sunday was life-giving in many ways.
Memorably,
It fostered my passion for music.
At a Southern Baptist church in the South during the 90s,
We were in the thick of the Evangelical movement.
Each week,
The leaders would sing,
Dance,
And generally get wild for Jesus.
I'd watch people pack the front of the church during the altar call and move with the Spirit of God.
During all of these emotionally packed moments,
I noticed one constant—music.
Lively music with drums,
A bass,
Keyboard and guitars would kick off the service with energy.
The singers would call the congregation to participate and feel the Spirit.
And later when the preacher got into the heaviest moments of his message,
The music would kick up again,
Stirring the crowd to get out of their chairs.
Those singers and players were the coolest thing to my preteen self.
It didn't hurt that the praise band was full of the church teenagers that I looked up to.
They were my rock stars.
Chief among them was my older brother and his friends.
He played and sang with the band.
As I watched him jam out each Sunday morning,
I was filled with a desire to be part of that experience.
I wanted to be up on the stage,
Standing behind a keyboard,
Ripping out cool synth solos,
Or playing sweet chords for Christ.
Fortunately,
When I approached him with this idea,
He was willing to show me some techniques that opened my mind to foundations that got me started as a musician.
Over the course of a few years,
I worked tirelessly at learning the songs,
And eventually I found myself playing each Sunday on that stage.
As time passed,
I became very confident as a church musician,
Playing the lively music of the Baptists and accompanying the preacher as he moved into the emotional call of his sermon.
At one point,
Our church decided to begin a partnership ministry with a local black congregation.
The idea was that we would combine resources to tackle some bigger community projects and join congregations for a few combined church services.
This meant that the musicians would get together and split the music responsibilities.
I was excited.
Having the opportunity to play for a new group of people meant that I could really strut my stuff.
After some communication,
It was decided that our band would start,
And the other band would follow.
When we took the stage,
We blasted out some of our top church hits for the new crowd.
They sang along and moved to the music.
I could tell they were impressed.
After we finished,
The other band took the stage,
And as they launched into their set,
I began to experience a brand new and fascinating musical adventure.
Specifically,
I watched the keyboard players' fingers fly over the keys in ways that I wasn't accustomed to.
I could tell that the musical sophistication of these players was at a different level.
They played some of the same songs we played,
But they played them in a gospel music style,
Laced with major 7ths and sharp 11ths that blew my young musical mind away.
I was humbled by how basic our music had sounded.
But more than that,
I was intrigued by the techniques of the musicians.
At the end of the service,
I approached the keyboard players and asked them about their playing.
I wanted to know what they were thinking when they approached the keyboard and how they made those fantastic sounds.
They explained to me their methods.
Based on a number system,
They walked me through typical chord changes and note extensions,
But for me,
At that time,
I felt like I was hearing a different language.
I realized that I didn't even have the same words to use in this musical language,
And it opened my mind to the fact that there was much room for growth and learning.
And I needed to put myself in situations to be exposed to wonders that were beyond my limited experiences.
Have you heard of the research by Jules de Vidoff,
Psychologist at Goldsmiths University in London?
He worked with the Himba people of Namibia with the hopes of uncovering the secrets of how we as humans construct our world of colors.
What he found was that when he showed the Himba people different colored squares,
They had difficulty figuring out which square was blue.
Many of them could not tell the difference between black and blue squares.
The prevailing thought is that they had difficulty seeing the color blue in part because there is no word for the color blue in their language.
On the other hand,
They had many words for different shades of green and could distinguish more nuanced shades of green than most Westerners.
When I consider this example,
I'm reminded of my own experience with gospel musicians as a teenager.
Similar to how the Himba people lacked a word for blue,
I lacked many musical words.
At that time and place,
I thought I understood,
But there was a myriad of concepts I didn't even know I could know.
When transitioning into Western civilization,
North Korean defectors have spoken of concepts new to them.
The North Korean regime indoctrinates its people with the ideas they wish to perpetuate,
Including hate for Western culture and South Korea.
And some defectors explain that in North Korean dialect,
There isn't even a word for love.
Imagine that,
No word for love.
Without the word,
Without the concept,
Could someone experience love?
Again,
This concept of missing knowledge and understanding is profoundly impactful.
Is there a chance I'm missing a deeper meaning for love?
I imagine I am.
How about you?
Do you ever feel like your understanding of this world is limited?
Do you sometimes feel stagnant?
Is there a chance you're not experiencing the richness this life has to offer?
Can you imagine wonders you may be missing because you lack the words to describe them or the exposure to appreciate them?
Do you hope to find more profound meaning in this life?
If so,
Like me,
Maybe you can work to overcome the limitations you were raised with.
Maybe opening your eyes,
Mind and heart to new possibilities will move you into a new season of growth.
Or actively seeking the beauty you've overlooked or missed in the world or in your fellow man.
What colors are left to see?
But I imagine that as you uncover these worlds of new possibilities,
You may find the peace and freedom you deserve.
Thank you.
