Heaven's Trophies

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys,

and where thieves do not break in or steal.” (Matthew 6:20)

I was originally going to call this blog, “Minstrel for Heaven” as it does thematically parallel with what I have chosen to call it.

Pat and I have many conversations pertaining to “music these days.”

Well, more accurately, “what are people calling music these days and why?!”

We were raised during the time when the music we listened to usually had a bunch of guys with long hair, mostly rebelling against their home rules, etc., and well…                                         

wanting to play something other than “Bach, Beethoven and the boys”; as I like to refer to them.                                                                                                                                                   

Ah but alas, did they indeed know how to play those instruments thanks to Bach, Beethoven and the boys! Well, and the scales and arpeggios that went alongside their forced home practising.                   You know, those “rules” I aforementioned.

To my subject here: Pat and I were raised on the fifties through seventies fun loving, tap toeing, head bopping music. Oh, and those heavenly harmonies too!                                                               

Mixed in with my own classical training (Royal Conservatory, then onto a music scholarship in the USA, then returning home to U of T one year later), I attempted to fuse my most cherished of harmonies into my own writing; naturally, they were born out of those scales and arpeggios I had to practice.

Oh, how does this all relate to the topic on hand, you may be asking? I promise, I am getting to the point here. But first, we need to take a wee journey alongside my ADHD (nee ADD) wiring. Here’s the thing: I did all of that (obsessing over mastering a skill set) to not only prove that I could, but to be approved for the high level of standards measuring those of the musical world from whence I came.                                                                                                                              

I knew that if I didn’t put my time and energy into perfecting my piano and singing skills that I would somehow not be worthy enough to enter a room with an audience; especially one that paid to get in to see me.

Where this became an absolute contradiction, or form of hypocrisy, to my belief/value system as a Christian is when I began to pursue a career in my value system’s very genre: Christian Contemporary. Hmm, even saying that sounds off setting. I mean, if I was speaking of Jesus in the current setting or times, I don’t think I would feel comfortable referring to Him as “Contemporary Jesus.” I hope you are getting my point here. Anyway, onward and more to my message.

What has radically shifted in my writing is not writing to match any particular pattern set out by the world as a “hit song”. Oh wait, I have always done that. Scrap that point. Let’s say instead this: What has radically shifted in my writing is not writing with the hope that someone, somewhere out there, might actually care about what I’m writing. So, in actuality my writing really hasn’t changed. What has changed is my purpose behind writing it. You know, the lack of concern as to whether or not it will be heard; instead, to write what I feel the Lord has put on my heart to write. Should He choose to put it out there for others to hear, then so shall it be the case. What God puts in motion, no man can stop; streams, misguided dreams, or industry schemes.

Will I attempt to place my music or creations on platforms where eyes and ears might be drawn to it? Of course I will. It’s no different than when Jesus walked the earth and shared his sermons. He told the disciples where and when and they let the people know. In today’s frame, that could look like Instagram or iTunes, and so forth.                                                                     

But, here’s where I could get myself into trouble: Checking to see how many streams I got, how many new or lost followers, what those followers think of me, etc.                                            

When Jesus referenced sharing the gospel with others, He made it very clear to His disciples, “If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.” (Matthew 10:14)

This can easily be applied to my point here. Using that same ideology, you could argue that Jesus would also tell me (upon the release of one of my Christian songs, whether worship or otherwise) that “If any household or town [or YouTube follower or listener of any kind on any device] refuses to welcome [your music] or listen to your message [about me, found in your music] shake the dust from your feet [the offence shaken from your ego] as you leave [that post or song on Instagram, FaceBook, or otherwise].”   

Likely, this might be added as well: “But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”’ (Luke 9:62) Which might also be translated into a slightly more amplified version sounding like this: “Additionally, don’t look to the left or the right, nor at the numbers of those who actually did choose to listen, or to follow, or to click like or love or thumbs up or down.” 

I resonate with how Jeremy Riddle explains the complex dilemma in the Christian world of music. He convicts, “Every award show has a set of values, criteria, a set of metrics that they use and that a committee evaluates when giving an award […] if we were to use ‘song of the year’ as an example or an illustration… if you receive, for instance, ‘song of the year’ it’s simply because your song was more popular, was played in more churches, and essentially it streamed or sold more copies than your brothers and sisters; it is according to sales and popularity. And so, when I say things like ‘the GMA Dove Awards system isn’t Christian’ is just because that’s not a Christian value system. It’s actually a secular value system […] I just have a really hard time imagining Jesus awarding in such a manner. I have a really hard time imagining Jesus saying to anyone, ‘Well done good and faithful servant! Your project was streamed more times, was played in more churches than all of your brothers and sisters. You outranked them in popularity. Well done! Return to your rest. Receive the crown of ‘artist of the year’.”

What was especially refreshing for me about discovering that very statement only one day prior to finishing the final edit of this blog (not purposefully either) is that it came to me only days after I started making notes about it; as if to be a sign that I needed to write it now.

Here’s where I need to be careful though: It’s not my job to criticize or convict nor to judge anyone on this very topic. It’s only my job to hold myself accountable to what the word tells me; to what the Holy Spirit imparts through my use of discernment. So, I suppose I was especially grateful that Jeremy had the courage and the boldness to speak it out, not only on my behalf but those whose rejections from the music industry echo my own.                                                                     

Well, and to use as a quote in this blog of course, so I don’t feel so alone in my message.

For me, it goes back to the very song that was put on my heart to write a few years ago.

It echoes this point indirectly, but also gives voice to my own place of surrendering all of my gifts back to the foot of the cross; where I no longer serve the world where my ego once fell prey to the beast of the industry.

What transcended was the song, “Use Me.” Hopefully you will now see why I wanted to call this blog “Minstrel for Heaven.” I wrote the song during our forced lockdown, where what escaped me was my long suffering of rejection; due to a lack of followers, likes, loves, streams, listeners, viewers, the list is obviously long here. 

What I felt the Lord was saying to me was, “Stop looking to them. Look to me! Sing to me!” Basically, “Seek the applause of the Heavenly collective and focus not on the awards based on the numbers collected.” Well, something like that.   

So, I found refuge in that truth alone: My audience of one, and those He allows from the kingdom to come, must always be where I fix my gaze with my “hands to the plough”; seeing the mantel that He has prepared to hold those stored up “treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys [the things of the earth nor the elements of time], and where thieves [words of rejection or judgement or worldly measures against me] do not break in [to my soul] or steal [rob my identity, my purpose, my calling, the gifts God gave me to use for Him and Him alone].”  

Use Me

Verse 1

Lord, breathe your life in me          

Into creativity

Into opportunity       

Into my destiny

Lord, breathe your life in me    

Into everything I don’t see

But in everything I hear                                              

Let it be the sound of your breath drawing near

Chorus

Use me

Choose me

I refuse to conform to the things I see

Use me

Inhabit my praises

I’ll not conform to the world’s phrases

Verse 2

What you tell me in the darkness 

I’ll shout out when daybreak comes                

What you whisper in my ear    

I’ll shout from rooftops for all to hear

You breathe life in me       

Into everything I don’t see           

But in everything I sing                                         

Let it be the sound of the breath you bring

Chorus

Use me

Choose me

I refuse to conform to the things I see

Use me

Inhabit my praises

I’ll not conform to the world’s phrases

Bridge

Nothing—Absolutely nothing                    

Will remove me from the palm of my God

Where I need no microphone from man                                 

Where the sounds of my soul sing louder

Than any judgement can

Nothing—Absolutely nothing                    

Will remove me from the palm of my God

Where I need no label or measure from man                                 

Where the breath of my Lord sings through me 

For He is the one to choose the level where I stand

Last Chorus

Use me

Choose me

I refuse to conform to the things I see

Use me

Inhabit my praises

I’ll not conform to the world

Use me

Choose me

I refuse to conform to the things I see

Use me

Inhabit my praises

I’ll not conform to the world’s phrases

©SoulCorde Music (Paula Walker), 2020